Expo 2020 will Create 500,000 Jobs in the UAE

Expo 2020 will create 500,000 jobs, with residents living in a large community within the city, according to the statement. The development was initially planned as an airport city to serve Al Maktoum International, the world’s largest greenfield airport development with a design capacity to handle 220 million passengers and 16 million tons of cargo per annum with five runways, six terminal buildings.

The combined value of Expo 2020-related development projects has reached $33 billion (Dh121 billion), as the UAE begins the three-year countdown to the event, according to BNC Network.

These projects include transport infrastructures, such as the expansion of the road networks, several highways, roundabouts, interchanges, and the Dubai Metro line set to connect the Dubai Expo 2020 site and Al Maktoum International to the rest of the city.

According to BNC Projects, a project research firm, the $33 billion also includes mixed-use projects, golf courses, and residential, commercial, and hospitality developments.

Mostly located at Dubai South, the 145-square kilometre mixed-use development with Al Maktoum International at its centrepiece, most of these projects are all expected to be completed before Expo 2020.

“As it stands, Dubai is getting ready to host the Expo 2020 and the emirate is way ahead in terms of its readiness. The mega event is taking place in the Middle East for the first time ” said Avin Gidwani, Chief Executive Officer of BNC Network.

“While driving past some of the major highways, one would notice the hectic construction activities on the highways and both sides of these highways, reflecting the pace of development work in the emirate. Most of the projects are on a fast-track basis, intended to expand the hotel inventory,” he added.Dubai South has been divided into separate functional districts, such as the logistics district, linked to Al Maktoum International to create a mega-cargo hub, which, along with the Jebel Ali Port and Jebel Ali Free Zone, will create one of the world’s largest sea-to-air logistics corridor.

The 21 square kilometres long logistics district is designed to enable fast-cycle businesses and assist value-added services such as manufacturing and assembly.

It also will host the Dh25 billion residential district, with a building capacity for 1,100 low to mid-rise buildings that cover a 715 hectares area and expected to accommodate 250,000 residents, when complete.

The commercial district is expected to provide employment opportunities for an estimated 150,000 people. It will consist of over 850 commercial towers with three to five-star hotel lodging.

An exhibition district that will host the World Expo 2020 site, will be spread across 4.38 square kilometres dedicated to the exhibition, and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry.

Expo 2020 jobs: candidates to get work placements

The final selectionprocess is underway for the Expo 2020 Dubai Apprenticeship Programme, a pioneering nine-month scheme that will offer valuable hands-on experience, vocational training and skills development to more than 20 young people from across the UAE aged 28 years and below.

Following its launch in April 2016, the programme attracted in excess of 2,700 applications, reflecting the high level of interest in Expo 2020 amongst the nation’s young people.

From these, 150 candidates were invited to assessment days that began last month at the Expo site in Dubai South. Expo 2020 Dubai took an innovative approach to these workshops, using a series of engaging challenges and tasks to evaluate candidates on criteria that included leadership, teamwork and their ability to identify and solve problems under pressure.

Ila Kuntum, an Indonesian engineering student currently completing her Masters of Science at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, said, “I really enjoyed the fact that the assessment included group-based activities. It showed us how real-life, quick decision scenarios play out, and highlighted our strengths and weaknesses.”

Emirati Marketing graduate, Ayesha Sharaf, and Farshied Jabarkhyl, who have studied in both the UK and UAE, described the day as “very challenging and unlike any other assessment I have ever taken part in. It taught us the importance of being open minded to other people’s opinions and ideas and was a great chance to meet new people.”

Candidates were then scored on their performance and around 50 were invited to attend a further round of one-to-one interviews with senior members of the Expo 2020 team, including the heads of the 19 departments offering work placements.

Commenting on the programme, Manal AlBayat, Vice-President of Engagement, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “The Apprenticeship Programme is an important part of our commitment to engage and empower young people through our journey leading up to Expo 2020 Dubai. We were heartened to see such a high demand from a diverse group of applicants and particularly impressed by the high quality of applications received.”

“The feedback from candidates that have taken part at the various stages of this process demonstrates the value of this experience. Those that are selected for the programme will develop useful competencies for their future career development, and will be important contributors to Expo 2020 Dubai’s educational and economic legacy. We are all looking forward to welcoming the first cohort later this year.”

The Apprenticeship Programme is aligned with the UAE Government’s Youth Empowerment Strategy. It also reflects Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, and addresses one of the Expo’s subthemes, “Opportunity”, by providing practical opportunities for young people to develop a skillset that positions them for future employment across a range of industries.

Successful candidates will be informed in mid-July with the programme commencing at the end of August.

Dubai Expo 2020 outlined opportunities for SMEs and graduate job seekers

Dubai Expo 2020 organisers outlined opportunities for small business and graduate job seekers as it seeks greater collaboration with the private sector across the UAE. A raft of measures to support potential suppliers include a tender bond and guarantee exemption for SMEs.

The validity periods for proposal got cut from 120 days to 60 days for SMEs... Payment periods for SMEs is 30 days. There is 25 per cent upfront payment for services, 50 per cent upfront for goods. No tender bonds required for SMEs, no guarantees required from SMEs to not lockout their liquidity, Manal AlBayat, Expo 2020’s vice president of engagement, explained at an event in Abu Dhabi, co-organised by the Australian, French, Canadian business groups, the American Chamber of Commerce and the International Business Women Group.

Any company, regardless of the size and not necessarily located in the UAE, can approach the Expo for contracts by registering on the site esource.expo2020dubai.ae, she said.

“It is for corporates, SMEs, individuals, freelancers, artists. They will be able to see what has already gne out to market, who’s been awarded to, and what is coming out next."

Ms AlBayat said meetings are being held with businesses every six weeks to get feedback on how to make the Expo a success.

“We look into details and invite industries. We learn from the challenges that you are facing. We are looking at what is going to be blowing people’s minds in 2020. In 2185 .we want people will talk about what we deliver now."

Ms AlBayat also detailed Expo 2020’s Collaborative Entrepreneurship initiative.“Not as CSR, but how can you incorporate an entrepreneur, an SME to be your innovation department, instead of hiring your own team," she said.

Organisers are also working to ensure a social legacy for the region’s youth from this mega event. Roadshows and workshops at universities across the Emirates and around the world will highlight the potential for employment, said Ms AlBayat.

This includes collaborations between corporates and universities to provide training programmes. “Any graduate unemployed below the age of 28 can apply to our Apprentice Programme. We [have received] about 2,700 applications."The is also a need for 30,000 volunteers for the Expo, she said.

“They can make or break the event because the first impression when you come down of the airplane is the hospitality of the city, so we have to make sure that we train them."The six-month exhibition expects to draw 25 million visitors, of which 70 per cent will come from beyond the UAE’s borders.

The challenge is to design a seamless journey for travellers, says Ms AlBayat.“It does not matter how amazing the place is if people have to wait eight to nine hours to visit a pavilion."

The Expo site is located strategically between Al Maktoum International Airport, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport and Jebel Ali Port.

“80 per cent of the buildings will remain for legacy, so we have already started some conversations to see who will occupy that place when we move out," she added.