1. Focus group – Business, Administration and Financial Services Sector
Occupations and Careers Handbook for UAE Nationals 2017 Edition Project
Focus group –
Business, Administration and Financial Services Sector
4 October 2016
An NQA Happiness Initiative

2. Today’s focus group 1. Welcome 2. Participant introductions
3. Introduction to the 2017 Handbook Project
4. UAE Business, Administration and Financial Services Sector: Facts & Figures
5. Industry sector paragraph from Handbook
6. Break (half way point for 10 minutes)
7. Current occupational profiles in 2013 Handbook
8. New occupational profiles for 2017 Handbook
9. Career clusters diagram
10. Observer wrap-up
11. Next steps

3. Participant introductions
State your name, position and organisation
Focus group question 1:
What has been your experience in the UAE Business, Administration and Financial Services Sector?

4. About the Handbook Patron
Developed under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.
National priorities
Absher initiative and pillar to boost the number of UAE Nationals in the labour force
A UAE operational program for “vocational guidance”
Committee for first edition
Ministry of Presidential Affairs (MOPA), Ministry of Labour (MoL), National Qualifications Authority (Handbook custodian), Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council and the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational education and Training (ACTVET).
Key outcomes first edition of Handbook
Critical industry sectors the UAE - Energy resources, Logistics and transport, Utilities and Infrastructure, Building and Construction, and Manufacturing.
155 occupations regarded as critical, sustainable and attractive to UAE Nationals – presented as occupational profiles that cover key duties, knowledge, skills and experience, essential qualifications, remuneration indicators, and future prospects.
Role of NQA
NQA is custodian - responsible for making sure it remains
relevant and current.

5. About the Handbook

6. 2017 Edition Handbook Project
Stage 1: Research
(Sep-Oct 2016)
Primary research:
Stakeholders:
1) evaluate the contents of the first edition
2) recommend changes/ additions for the second edition
3) create new occupational profiles for occupations that are regarded as attractive, sustainable and critical for UAE Nationals.
Secondary research :
Analysis of existing research and statistics on the UAE economy and industry sectors
Stage 2: 2017 English version (Oct-Dec 2016)
Create draft content
Distribute draft to stakeholders for feedback
Adjust based on feedback
Stage 3: Translation into Arabic (Dec 2016-Jan 2017)
Final English 2017 edition translated into Arabic 2017 edition.
Stage 4: Packaging and marketing (2017)
PDF versions launched first half of 2017
NQA to examine other packaging options e.g. apps, website
2017 Edition Handbook Project
YOU ARE HERE

7. Business, Administration, Financial and Legal Services section in Handbook

8. Focus Group Question 2:
What have been some of the developments in the UAE Business, Administration and Financial Services Sector over the past 4 years that should be referred to in the revised sector paragraph for the 2017 edition?
Focus Group Question 3:
What impact are these developments having on occupations in the sector? For example, what occupations are in greater demand? What occupations are in less demand?

9. Current occupational profiles are based on ISCO
The profiles in the Handbook are based on occupational profiles from International Labour Organisation’s International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) System 2008:
Hierarchically structured classification with occupations arranged into unit groups (436 groups), minor groups (130), sub-major groups (43) and major groups (10), based on their similarity in terms of the skill level and skill specialisation required.
Allows the production of relatively detailed internationally comparable data
Facilitates communication between countries about occupations.
Provides a titling and code convention for the listed occupations as well the main tasks and duties performed in the occupations.
Gives more emphasis to the nature of work performed than to education and training requirements of occupations.

12. Current occupational profiles in 2013 Handbook
The first edition of the Handbook included profiles for the following occupations that exist in the ISCO-08 and met the following criteria:
Some level of long-term sustainability and criticality in the economy/industry underpinned by prospective multiple career options, exit points and pathways for future self-growth and recognition.
Security, support, and good conditions/remuneration.
Perceived attractiveness and occupational status.
Focus Group Question 4:
Do occupational profiles included in the first edition still meet the above criteria and therefore should remain in the 2017 edition?

13. Current occupational profiles – keep or remove?
Sustainable/critical to UAE economy?
Offer security, support and good conditions/ remuneration?
Perceived as attractive and with occupational status by Emiratis?
1120 Managing Directors and Chief Executives
Yes/No?
1211 Finance Manager
1212 Human Resources Manager
1213 Policy and Planning Manager
1219 Business services and administration managers not elsewhere classified
1221 Sales and Marketing Managers
1222 Advertising and Public Relations Managers
1223 Research and Development Managers
1346 Financial and Insurance Service Branch Managers
1349 Professional Services Managers not elsewhere classified
2411 Accountants
2412 Financial and Investment Advisers
2413 Financial Analysts
2421 Management and organization analysts
1329 Professional Services Managers not elsewhere classified
2422 Policy administration professionals
2423 Personnel and careers professionals

14. Current occupational profiles – keep or remove?
Sustainable/critical to UAE economy?
Offer security, support and good conditions/ remuneration?
Perceived as attractive and with occupational status by Emiratis?
2431 Advertising and marketing professionals
Yes/No?
2432 Public relations professionals
2434 Information and communications technology sales professionals
2611 Lawyers
2619 Legal professionals not elsewhere classified
2631 Economists
3312 Credit and loans officers
3313 Accounting associate professionals
3322 Commercial sales representatives
3323 Buyers
3339 Business services agents not elsewhere classified
3341 Office supervisors
3342 Legal secretaries
3343 Administrative and executive secretaries
3411 Legal and related associate professionals
4211 Bank tellers and related clerks
4227 Survey and market research interviewers
4311 Accounting and bookkeeping clerks
4312 Statistical, finance and insurance clerks
4321 Stock clerks

15. New occupational profiles?
Focus Group Question 5: What occupational profiles for the Business, Administration and Financial Services sector should be added to 2017 edition because they also meet the three criteria?
 New profiles
Sustainable/critical to UAE economy?
Offer security, support and good conditions/ remuneration?
Perceived as attractive and with occupational status by Emiratis?
????

16. Career Clusters- Career Pathways
The UAE Industry Groupings Career Clusters-Career Pathways diagram:
Strategic pillars as per UAE Vision 2021 and Emirates plan e.g. The Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 – influences future direction and future demand for requisite skills
Strategic enablers
Core “Life Skills”
Industry groupings with hierarchy level career clusters
Career clusters and pathways

17. Career Clusters – Industry Group 4
The Handbook has classified career clusters and career pathways into industry groups.
One benefit in particular is that common underpinning bodies of knowledge and skills, often recognized in an educational and training discipline, or which support a pre-existing discipline for a newly created job, can be drawn together for educational and training efficiency and efficacy. (p. 50 of Handbook).
Focus Group Question 6:
Should NQA change the clustering for Business, Management and Administration, Marketing and Finance?

18. Observer wrap-up
Observers to wrap up participant responses to the focus group questions that will impact on the second edition of the Handbook.

19. Next steps You can: provide feedback on observer’s focus group notes
work with NQA to review existing occupational profiles
work with NQA to write new occupational profiles.