National Central Cooling Company PJSC (DFM: Tabreed), the leading UAE-based regional district cooling utility company, today announced the launch of its Ethra’a initiative, a first-of-its-kind knowledge development programme established to develop human capital and prepare the district energy sector’s future leaders.
Ethra’a initiative, which means ‘enrichment’ in Arabic, aims to build a highly-skilled talent pool and develop human capital by facilitating knowledge sharing and innovation between the industry and academia. This will further drive knowledge-based economic growth in line with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, and strategic talent development to support environmental sustainability and green economy ambitions outlined in the UAE’s Green Agenda 2030, an overarching framework to transform the country into a green economy. The initiative is also aligned with Abu Dhabi Government economic reform plan ‘Tomorrow 2021’ (Ghadan 2021), which places significant focus on the development of technology, talent and research.
Ethra’a is built on five engagement pillars, with an overall objective to create opportunities for engineering and graduates, by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and competencies to become successful in highly-skilled roles within the district energy sector. These are: guest lectures delivered by subject matter experts at Tabreed to initiate knowledge transfer and improve understanding of the district energy sector; an in-house, capability-building programme, which features Training for Work, Undergraduate Internship Program, a Post Graduate Assistance Program to equip graduates of UAE Nationals with workplace skills and help improve their performance; educational tours at district cooling plants, designed to develop a greater understanding of how sustainable engineering theory can be put into practice; establishing cooperative research clusters for scientific advancements in the field of renewable energy and sustainable technologies; and a Sponsorship Program, designed to give outstanding Emirati students the opportunity to pursue a career with one of the granted local (UAE) based Accredited Universities and Technical Colleges.
Commenting, Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “As the regional pioneer in district cooling, Tabreed has a responsibility and commitment to developing the next generation of leaders for the district energy sector, by providing high quality training, mentorships and practical experience to engineering and management graduates. Ethra’a initiative sits at the heart of this commitment, creating stronger links between academia and the industry through greater collaboration on knowledge creation, research, innovation and skills development. This smart and forward-looking approach to education is key to achieving the UAE’s wider vision of developing a thriving, knowledge-based economy.”
Earlier this year, Tabreed successfully completed a three-year research and development (R&D) pilot project with Masdar Institute to deliver energy efficiency through enhancing operational performance in district cooling plants. Titled ‘Optimal Chiller Plant Control’, the project aimed to develop and operate a proprietary next-generation digital ‘smart controller’ capable of intelligently managing district cooling plants to improve operational performance by decreasing energy consumption.
In 2018, Tabreed has developed over 40 UAE National graduates and employees through different training schemes that offer a chance to build a strong career portfolio through skills development and hands-on experience.
The company remains committed to developing a strong pool of Emirati talent through recruitment and retention of UAE Nationals in various fields, having achieved an Emiratisation rate of 39% as of November, 2018.
Tabreed is a partner of choice for organizations across the GCC in providing environmentally friendly district cooling solutions that support the region’s energy sustainability. With 73 district cooling plants located throughout the region, Tabreed currently delivers over 1 million refrigeration tons to key developments in the region including iconic infrastructure projects such as Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island, Yas Island, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Dubai Metro, Dubai Parks and Resorts, and the Jabal Omar Development in the Holy City of Mecca, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.