WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 hosts HeForShe event

16 March 2017

To celebrate International Women’s Day, WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 hosted an event at TwoFour54 on March 8 with several Creative Lab members who spoke about their experiences with vocational skills.

The event brought together a wide range of Emirati talent including jewellery designer Azza Al Qubaissi, landscape designer Kamelia bin Zaal, robotics contestant Fatima Al Tunaiji, and jewellery design contestant Sondoss Al Hosani.

Each guest spoke about her experiences at the EmiratesSkills National Competition and the positive effects it had on her career. They spoke about the role of their parents and family in supporting their decisions and providing practical help. Some parents were at the event and voiced their pride in their children’s achievements. All were keen to emphasize how academic diplomas are not the only path to success.

Kamelia bin Zaal said: “Although I had a successful career in a government position, my true calling was in landscaping. I decided to give it a try and went for a diploma in landscaping and design and participated in a number of competitions. This boosted my self-confidence and made me discover abilities within me that I never knew existed had I not ventured and grabbed the opportunities that were given to me.”

Fatima Al Tunaiji and Sondoss Al Hosani both attributed their enthusiasm to the support they received from their families. It motivated them to focus on training and overcome all sorts of challenges to ultimately win the EmiratesSkills competition and get the chance to represent the UAE at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 this October.

Notes to the Editor

HeForShe is a campaign for the advancement of women initiated by UN Women two years ago. Its goal is to achieve gender equality in the boardroom, classroom and in world capitals.

The meeting was held at the Creative Lab at TwoFour54, which was established to develop creative and innovative talents in media and entertainment in Abu Dhabi.