ADEK to recruit experienced UAE nationals to lead Emirate’s charter schools

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has launched a new leadership edition of its homegrown talent incubator, the Emirati Recruitment Initiative (ERI). The latest drive aims to attract experienced Emirati educators to the emirate’s expansive Charter Schools ecosystem as part of ongoing efforts to further enrich homegrown capabilities and contribute in the education sector and aid the long-term development of the vital Charter School network.

Applications are now open to UAE nationals with relevant education sector experience who want to play a role in nurturing the next generation of students across the emirate’s Charter Schools. Successful Emirati recruits will access specialised training and pathways to job opportunities as Principals and Vice Principals across the Charter School network. “Emirati cadres are a key pillar to the success of our education ecosystem, especially across Charter Schools, where our Emirati students can access quality education opportunities while fostering their sense of national identity,” said Sara Awadh Issa Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education, Chairman of the Federal Agency of Early Education (FAEE) and ADEK Chairman.

“Enriching development pathways for Emirati educators helps guarantee a sustainable human capital talent pool capable of leading the future development of the education sector. We aim to increase the number of passionate and dedicated Emirati employees across Abu Dhabi’s Charter Schools as we believe Emirati school leaders are critical in delivering our mission of building global citisens who remain faithful to their national and cultural roots.”

The fourth recruitment drive is dedicated to attracting school leaders, and follows three previous drives to recruit teachers, administrators, counsellors, social workers, and parent relations executives. The first three ERI recruitment drives attracted over 300 UAE national participants, with the programme directly responsible for placing 145 Emirati education professionals across Charter Schools.

Khulood Al Dhaheri, executive director of Education Partnerships Sector at ADEK, added: “This strategic development opportunity is open to all experienced Emirati educators; we invite them to become school leaders, and encourage applications to support students in realising their full potential. The initiative is a clear demonstration of our commitment to empower Emirati human capital in line with the recent expansion of our Charter Schools model, which now offers quality learning opportunities to over 46,500 students.”

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a two-day assessment workshop, during which they will hear from expert panellists discussing the education sector and undergo a detailed orientation on ADEK’s Charter Schools ecosystem. Candidates will then be grouped into teams to solve a case study challenge, before presenting their outcomes to a selection panel. Successful candidates will be scored on their understanding of the case study challenge, their communication skills, applied research, quality of their proposed solution, the narrative and flow of their presentation, and their ability to respond to panel enquiries.