Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Group CEO of Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC), and Mariam Al Musharrakh, Director General of GovTalent at Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE), witnessed the signing of the agreement by Abdulla AlShimmari, Executive Director of National Workforce Enablement Sector at DGE, and Ahmed Alshamsi, Chief Human Capital Officer at ENEC.
Under the five-year agreement, the two parties will cooperate to qualify at least 100 UAE nationals holding high school diplomas, vocational diplomas, or postgraduate degrees. DGE’s Mawaheb Talent Hub will provide ENEC with a curated list of candidates and grant access to its state-of-the-art facilities to conduct awareness workshops, technical assessments, and interviews.
ENEC will lead the development and funding of the training programmes and financial support for trainees. Upon successful completion of the programme and meeting hiring criteria, the selected trainees will be integrated into the workforce at ENEC and its subsidiaries.
“Since its inception, ENEC has been dedicated to cultivating a world-class team of Emirati professionals who are the backbone of our success at the Barakah Plant today and for the many decades of operations ahead,” Al Hammadi said. “This agreement with the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi, allows us to expand our talent pipeline, ensuring that the next generation of UAE nationals is equipped with the expertise to lead and secure our nation’s carbon-free future and drive long-term sustainable growth. This Initiative also supports the UAE’s transition to a knowledge-based economy by equipping job seekers with specialised skills for high-tech industries.”
DGE Undersecretary Ibrahim Nassir added: “We believe that the most important investment any nation can make is in its people. This agreement with ENEC reflects exactly that – a shared commitment to placing Emirati talent at the heart of one of the UAE’s most strategically vital sectors. Through Mawaheb, we are not simply connecting job seekers to vacancies; we are building a pipeline of nationally qualified experts who can lead the UAE’s clean energy future for generations to come. Partnerships of this depth and ambition are what transform national vision into lasting reality.”
ENEC said the partnership builds upon its proven track record of human capability development. “To date, more than 2,000 Emirati talents have been involved in the development and operation of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant,” it said. “Through six dedicated talent pipeline programmes, ENEC continues to empower future experts to manage the civil nuclear energy sector for decades to come.”
Under a USD20 billion deal announced in December 2009, four Korean-designed APR1400 reactors have been built at the Barakah site by a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). First concrete for Barakah 1 was poured in July 2012, while that for units 2-4 was poured in April 2013, September 2014 and July 2015, respectively. The units entered commercial operation between April 2021 and September 2024. The Barakah plant – in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi – is owned by ENEC and operated by Nawah, a joint nuclear operations and maintenance subsidiary of the ENEC and KEPCO. The plant provides about 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs.
