The Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute (ADVETI) in partnership with BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, opened a state-of-the-art spray-painting vocational training center for automotive refinishing at Zayed Military City in Abu Dhabi.
BASF’s partnership with ADVETI and its support of WorldSkills and Emirates Skills is part of the company’s commitment to contributing to the UAE’s countrywide efforts to build institutions that provide quality technical and vocational education.
According to the UAE government, the UAE needs to produce 10 Emiratis with vocational skills for every university graduate to achieve a sustainable and diversified knowledge-based economy. To close the skills gap, BASF is actively supporting the development of local talent.
Spanning 800 square meters, the new center will cater to the increasing demand for automotive refinishing products and services in the region. The facility will serve as an ideal training ground for young, talented Emiratis and also be used by some of BASF’s automotive refinish customers.
Using premium brands of environment-friendly waterborne paints from BASF’s automotive refinish coatings portfolio, including Glasurit, R-M and BASF’s Value-for-Money brand baslac as well as paint-related products from RODIM, the training courses will encompass application techniques, color-matching, and the optimal use of paints to reduce waste, reworks and processing time. Training sessions and workshops will be structured to optimize productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness to enhance the skill level of the body shop workers employed by BASF’s business partners and step up the overall industry standards in the region.
His Excellency Dr Abdulrahman Jassim Al Hammadi, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute, said: “In line with the wise UAE leadership’s directive to empower young people, our vocational training center for automotive refinishing, launched in cooperation with BASF, will be the first center to train young Emiratis to spray-paint using the latest technologies and specialized technical training programs. These programs have been developed by an academic team to enrich the trainees’ knowledge, skills and practical experience in automotive refinishing. The classrooms, workshops and facilities are designed to provide an optimal and safe environment for field practices.”
He added: “Our institute is keenly interested in enhancing UAE national capabilities and opening new opportunities for young Emiratis to find their niche and follow their passions. Such initiatives are as important as ADVETI’s indigenous programs that align with the UAE’s development plans and offer various specializations, such as engineering, advanced technology, logistics, supply management, IT, media and creative production, safety, health services, financial management, and accounting.
“Launching the vocational training center reflects our commitment to developing human resources and increasing the competitiveness of UAE nationals in the labor market in line with the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 and the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. Our strategy aims to boost the role of technical and vocational training in building a new generation of Emiratis qualified to perform highly specialized jobs, provide innovative services, and turn out world-class products proudly made in the UAE.”
Dr Udo Huenger, Vice President Middle East at BASF, said: “The establishment of the state-of-the-art spray-painting vocational training center in Abu Dhabi reaffirms BASF’s commitment to the UAE’s development goals and to this region. Together with ADVETI instructors, we will start training young, talented Emiratis to become professional car painters.”
He added: “It is also our ambition to make young, talented UAE nationals excited about the automotive spray-painting profession and qualify them to land a job in one of the UAE’s body shops while equipping them with experience in working with premier automotive refinish products. The right coating technology, the most efficient application techniques, and compliance with the highest quality standards require a drive for perfection, and we aim to help instill this passion in our Emirati talents.”
The center will feature a large color lab, an experience area for business partners, a dedicated application and preparation area with a professional classroom equipped with latest technical and multimedia training tools. Offering a set of innovative service modules designed to improve the processes and overall performance of a body shop, the curriculum will be flexible in order to meet the specific training needs of the customers.
The enrolment of Emiratis in vocational schools has surged during the past few years, signaling a positive change in the public’s perception of technical education. Government entities and private sector companies, including BASF, have partnered to ensure that the number of young UAE nationals who are passionate about vocational skills continues to grow.
BASF has been active in the region for over a century with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Khobar and Cairo. In addition, it runs a polyurethane system house in Dubai, a state-of-the-art production facility for customer-specific antioxidant blends (CSB) in Bahrain, and production sites for construction chemicals in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Oman.
