Medyaf, the industry nationalisation initiative at Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, has launched the ‘Explore the Tourism Industry in Dubai’ initiative. Designed to empower Emirati talents seeking to join the tourism workforce with the fundamental knowledge and skills, the initiative offers an immersive programme of interactive workshops, field trips, vocational experiences and hands-on training, said Medyaf in a statement.

The goal of the Medyaf initiative is to provide students with a better understanding of opportunities within the tourism and hospitality sectors, attracting new talent and supporting their continued professional development, in addition to contributing towards further enhancing the visitor experience.

Medyaf organises a year-round programme of workshops, training programmes and activities related to the different functions of hospitality such as HR, IT, marketing and finance which provide participants with an in-depth understanding of hospitality operations as part of its mission to support industry nationalisation and meet the needs of the tourism sector.

Mariam Al Maeeni, Director of Industry Nationalisation at DCT, said: “We are delighted to launch the ‘Explore the Tourism Industry in Dubai’ initiative, inspired by the constant efforts of our visionary leadership to boost the economy by providing opportunities for Emirati talents to excel across sectors.”

“The initiative is also in line with the important role played by Medyaf in supporting the UAE’s industry nationalisation strategy, which aims to support and bolster Emirati talent and increase the number of UAE nationals entering the tourism sector. Medyaf is a comprehensive public-private collaboration, which includes a plethora of immersive workshops, training events, and industry activities contributing to the growth of the tourism sector, in addition to supporting the diversification of the national economy,” she added.

As part of the initiative, two workshops were hosted by Medyaf last month, which involved theoretical and practical activities in an engaging, interactive environment, and provided participants the opportunity to learn about hotel operations, hospitality and fundamentals of culinary arts, along with hands-on training.