
Abu Dhabi: The Kerala foreign recruitment body will help over 1,000 highly skilled Indian workers from the state to be hired in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the next six months, local media reported.
The recruitment will be done as part of the Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPC) programme, an initiative of the Government of Kerala.
This was announced by Kerala minister for general education and labour, V Sivankutty, during a press conference in Dubai on Tuesday, September 5.
Sivankutty, who is currently visiting UAE, said that his team met with representatives from 32 companies, who wanted to hire over 1,000 people within six months.
“The required roles include doctors, engineers, IT sector employees and those in the healthcare industry. We are looking to fulfil these requirements in six months,” Sivankutty said.
ODEPC is looking into offering free Arabic classes for employees in the UAE and other Gulf countries through its training centres.
Sivankutty went on to explain that hiring practices have evolved. Now, companies seek candidates that are completely trained and ready to join.
To facilitate this, ODEPC supports its trainees with additional language classes. “In the UAE, employers were only asking for English. However, now some employers have begun asking for Arabic-speaking employees, so now we will be supporting them with lessons,” Sivankutty was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.