Jumeirah Group receives prestigious Dubai Human Development Award 2006

Jumeirah Group, the dynamic and fast growing Dubaibased luxury international hospitality group and member of Dubai Holding, has received the esteemed Dubai Human Development Award 2006 for its successful Emiratisation programme and ongoing commitment to the recruitment and development of UAE Nationals.

The Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA) is presented annually by the Department of Economic Development to companies in two categories and spans the seven economic sectors; financial services, trading, construction, tourism, professional, services and manufacturing. The DHDA commends those private sector companies that play a crucial role in the recruitment and development of UAE Nationals.

“Emiratisation is a long term commitment and investment, and as one of the leading local employers in the tourism and hospitality sector, we have an important responsibility to pro-actively encourage and support the development of UAE Nationals. Receiving the Dubai Human Development Award is an honour and reflection of our commitment to providing the utmost in quality in all that we do at
Jumeirah”, said Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group. He added: “It is a top priority for us to attract, recruit, develop and retain the highest qualified and skilled UAE Nationals as the leaders of the tourism and hospitality industry of tomorrow. Winning this accolade provides further inspiration for us in Jumeirah Group in our journey to excellence.”

Jumeirah Group currently employs over 300 UAE Nationals in a wide variety of positions and departments across its portfolio of resorts and hotels in Dubai. UAE nationals make up the concierge staff, guest services, front office, information technology, training & development, sales, marketing, human resources and technical services.

‘Al Manarah’, the Group’s dedicated and comprehensive training and development framework, includes a range of programmes designed to give UAE Nationals assistance in integrating into the Jumeirah culture and the hospitality and tourism industry. It includes training for new entry-level colleagues (Al Tawteen and Al Masar) as well as fast-tracking programmes for potential middle and senior candidates encompassing academic scholarships and management trainee programmes. In addition to the training and development modules, the Al Manarah programme also features an ongoing mentoring and coaching component.

Besides the Group’s own initiatives and dedicated Emiratisation strategy, Jumeirah Group is also a founding member of the Emiratization Task Force for Tourism through the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in association with Tanmia. The Hospitality Maharat Programme, one of the taskforce initiatives, is designed to provide training and employment opportunities for UAE Nationals and this programme is fully embraced and integrated within the
Emiratisation programme at Jumeirah. In addition, Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group, represents the Hospitality Sector in the Emirates National Development Programme (ENDP).

Mike Newnham, Chief Human Resources Officer for Jumeirah Group commented:
“The development of UAE Nationals within the private sector is of critical importance to the economic growth of the country and hospitality and tourism is one of they key growth industries offering many career opportunities for UAE Nationals”. He added: “We are proud of what we have achieved so far and are looking forward to the time when we are able to appoint our first Emirati General Manager”.

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About Jumeirah Group:

Jumeirah properties are regarded as among the most luxurious and innovative in the world and have won numerous international travel and tourism awards. The fast growing Dubai based luxury international hospitality group encompasses the world renowned Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel, the multi-award winning Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah and Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai, the Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in London and the Jumeirah Essex House Hotel in New York.

The group’s activities are however, not restricted to hotel and resort management. The Jumeirah Group portfolio also includes Wild Wadi, regarded as one of the premier water parks outside of North America and The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, the region’s only third level academic institution specializing in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Building on this success, Jumeirah Group became a member of Dubai Holding in 2004, a collection of leading Dubai based businesses and projects, in a step that aims to initiate a new phase of growth and development for the group. Jumeirah’s ambitious expansion plans to grow its portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts worldwide to 40 by the end of 2009 are well underway with projects currently under development in Dubai, Aqaba, Doha, Phuket, Shanghai and London.

For further information please contact:

Jumeirah Group Corporate Communications
Anne Bleeker – Director of Public Relations & Communications
PO Box 73137
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Telephone: +971 4 3300111, Extension 762
Fax: +971 4 3016655
E-mail: pr@jumeirah.com
Visit us at: www.jumeirah.com

Contact Information

Anne Bleeker

Director of Public Relations & Communications

Jumeirah Group Corporate Communications

Contact via E-mail