Youths put skills ahead of money

Emirati youths entering the job market prioritise skills over salaries. That was the message from young people attending the Emirati Youth Forum yesterday who said the opportunity to grow was the deciding factor in accepting a job - four places ahead of pay. About 50 students and recent graduates took part in the forum held a day before the Emiratisation Summit. They were from universities in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah.

In a live voting session, 30 per cent of participants said the opportunity for growth and promotion was the most important factor when considering a job offer; 20 per cent said learning new skills was the top factor; while 18 per cent said work environment and culture was the main factor. Only 10 per cent said they would consider salary first. A mere 2 per cent said working hours were the most important criterion. Job fairs, career guidance and workshops with corporate guests are ways that universities can help create new perceptions about working in the private sector.

On the other hand, private sector employers mistakenly believe that Emirati youth place more emphasis on salary, benefits and working hours, Sulaf Al Zu’ubi, forum moderator and chief executive officer of training and mentorship company Injaz, told Gulf News. “In order to realize Emiratisation targets, awareness about private sector opportunities needs to be enhanced among the youth,” she added. When choosing between public and private sector positions, the deciding factors for Emirati youth tend to be growth and promotion opportunities, work environment and skill development. “The private sector work environment does not always provide sufficient motivation for Emirati youth,” said Ali Ahmad, a 20-year-old student of Dubai Men’s College who attended the forum.

Release target Asian Houbara exceeded

The IFHC stand this year features live houbara, and a play performed by primary and middle school students at the Al Yaher Public School. Educating future hunters and falconers is our main focus this year which is why we are working closely with the Abu Dhabi Education Council and would like to see more schools taking an interest in the houbara. Some hunters are poaching the houbara by killing it using shotguns, giving the bird a zero survival chance in that case on  opposed  to the slight chance of escape the houbara gets when being hunted by a falcon. A reason for this is the difference in mentality that modern hunters have as opposed to their forefathers who grew up in harsh conditions and were accustomed to giving back to nature as much as they took from it. With its own independent stand for the first time this year at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX), the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) announced it has exceeded yearly expectations of Asian Houbara release into the wild. This year has been remarkable to us in terms of success. The survey will indicate how many wild birds are trapped and which areas require the reintroduction programme. We believe that some people are overhunting in some places, that some people are not using the traditional method of hunting and are using shotguns. The survey will give clues to past houbara behavior. This will hopefully mean houbara will not be taken from the wild to train falcons. The hunting exhibition is the best place to help us be in contact as much as we can with falconers, and this gives us a very good indication of the hunting pressure and the problems these birds are facing.

How do Gulf corals beat the heat

Corals and reef fish in Abu Dhabi coastal waters survive because they have managed to beat the heat by hump coral. Adapting to hot water the coral live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae, a type of algae that live inside the corals tissue. The algae producing sugars that provide up to 90 per cent of the corals energy dioxide for photosynthesis. Algae are two species that if one dies the other is unable to feed itself to stay alive. To protect itself, the coral essentially spits out the zooxanthellae. The coral can live off its fat reserves for a week, after that it needs to take the algae back in or it will die. The El Nino subjected 80 per cent of coral reefs to extreme temperatures. Corals white skeleton is made of calcium carbonate-the same substance as human bones- and is sensitive to change in water chemistry. The Gulfs corals seem to be coping also it may be something to do with an unusual complement of protective mechanisms.  Corals reproduce in one of two fragmentations or larval production when a piece of coral breaks off, rolls across the sand land somewhere else and starts growing. Larval production in massive spawning events, when countless billions of tiny, 1mm-long larval bulbs are released. Sometimes they settle for a tittle while the larvae only have a limited time to choose their home.

New pearl Museum opens in RAK

 The precious pearl has two local legends, one chat she is Bint al Matar daughter of the rain the other chat she is Bint Al Qamar, daughter of the moon. RAK which was known as Julfar was the capital of pearl business. The museum contain historical evidence of the importance of reach e.g the 1645 letter from the governor-general of the Dulzh east India co. Pearling industry collapsed when the Japanese invented  cultured pearls. Many Emirati women are named after the name of pearls. The museum is unique in the region, and has two-stores; also it belongs to RAK Pearls Holding. On the first floor you can see tools and gear worn by pearl divers. Regardless of the protection gear they suffered illness and even death. The Second floor is for the famous pearls round the world such as the Buddha which were placed inside oysters in hopes that each shell would produce a pearl. Last but not least is RAK’s 12mm Miracle of Arabia pearl, sitting on a red velvet throne inside the museum.