Tanmia, the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority, on Tuesday presented its Human Resources Award to the Union Cooperative Society and the Desert Group, during a Gala Dinner held at the Dubai World Trade Center, on the sidelines of the Careers UAE 2008 Exhibition. The annual Tanmia HR Awards is presented to commercial sector organizations in the UAE that have made a significant contribution to maximizing employment opportunities for UAE nationals. Ahmad Humaid Al-Tayer, chairman of Tanmia's Board of Trustees, presented the awards to the two companies in the presence of several dignitaries and local media. “We are pleased to recognize the sincere efforts of the Union Co-operative Society and the Desert Group to realize the importance of providing job opportunities to UAE Nationals. The private sector has a vital role to play in helping Tanmia achieve its emiratization goals, and we believe that awards such as these will prove to be a major encouragement to companies to increase the number of nationals within their workforce,” Al-Tayer said. “The increasing number of UAE Nationals in the private sector is also an indication that Tanmia's sustained efforts to boost emiratization in the UAE are proving fruitful,” he added. Factors such as the level of support extended by the companies to the emiratization initiative; the steps undertaken by the company to boost employment of nationals in the last three years; the career development opportunities; and the work environment in the company, were taken into consideration while deciding the winners of the Tanmia HR Awards. The Union Cooperative Society currently employs an all-local team of top management, while 80 percent of mid-management and 30 percent of lower management are UAE Nationals, making it the highest localization figures in a private company at present. – SG __