Goal is a 100% Emirati workforce

Prior to 2007, not a single Emirati worked in any of the UAE's typing centres despite applications mainly being typed in Arabic. With the launch of Tasheel, this began to change. "One of the main objectives of launching Tasheel was providing employment to Emiratis. Our goal is to have 100 per cent emiratisation in Tasheel centres and we are trying to achieve that target in the next two years," said Saif Ahmad Al Suwaidi, manager of the Service Centres Department at the Ministry of Labour. Tasheel currently has 900 employees of which 563 are Emiratis. The target is 1,200 by the end of 2013. One of the conditions that we put forward to the prospective franchise owners is that they should have Emiratis as majority of their staff," Al Suwaidi said. Typists must have a minimum of higher secondary education and pass a two-month training programme. Al Suwaidi said: "We pay a basic salary of Dh6,000 and depending on the number of applications an employee types he/she can earn more. In a month an employee has to type a minimum of 400 applications and if he/she exceeds this then they are paid Dh15 per application. We have cases of employees earning up to Dh25,000 per month."