First cohort of Emirati graduate trainees complete EGA's one-year leadership development programme

Emirates Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, announced the graduation of 45 young UAE National Graduate Trainees from the company's LEAP talent accelerator programme.

LEAP is a comprehensive 12-month programme that offers a bespoke learning journey to enhance management and leadership skills through mentorship from senior leadership at EGA. It includes a combination of interactive workshops,  simulations, individual coaching and networking opportunities. LEAP is designed exclusively for EGA Graduate Trainees.

EGA currently has 75 graduate trainees, 49 of whom are women, and all are UAE nationals. The EGA Graduate Training Programme was launched in 1982. Graduate trainees complete 18 or 24 months of training for supervisory positions in corporate functions or industrial operations. For graduate trainees in operations, this includes periods of working shifts in front-line operational roles they will supervise, such as tending reduction cells.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said, "Developing and upskilling our local talent is our priority to secure the talent EGA needs to contribute to the UAE's industrial growth and achieve our bold aspiration of becoming a talent-driven organisation. I look forward to seeing these young, talented colleagues build successful and fulfilling careers at EGA."

LEAP stands for Learn, Engage, Adapt and Perform. The second cohort of Graduate Trainees joined the programme in May 2024.

EGA also runs an integrated suite of leadership development programmes for leaders at different stages of their careers. These include Ascend programmes, which are customised for high-potential leaders from non-supervisory to Directors, and the Leadership Excellence programme, designed to support leaders at all levels in embedding EGA's culture and values in their work.

At the end of 2023, EGA's in-focus Emiratisation rate was 42.6 per cent. On a like-for-like basis, EGA has one of the highest Emiratisation rates of any major company considering the high number of industrial positions.

EGA now aims to accelerate in-focus Emiratisation, targeting that the number of UAE Nationals rises as a proportion of the in-focus workforce by two per cent every year to reach 48 per cent by 2026.