UAE's Largest Telecom Built Its Own AI Workforce: Inside e&'s 284-Graduate Pipeline and 30,000-Person Training Machine
By Tim Kreling, Co-Founder, OVI
While most Gulf employers are locked in bidding wars for scarce AI talent, the UAE's largest telecom quietly built its own supply chain. e& (formerly Etisalat) has graduated at least 284 Emirati AI specialists since 2021 through a structured 12-month programme — and in October 2025 launched AI Nation – Afaaq, a joint initiative with AWS targeting 30,000 UAE learners. The message to GCC HR leaders is direct: building your own AI talent pipeline beats waiting for the market to produce one.
The AI Graduate Programme: From Recruitment to Manufacturing
e&'s AI Graduate Programme is a 12-month structured pathway that takes Emirati nationals from university graduation to full-time roles spanning artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, product development, HR, and business strategy.
Since launching in 2021, the programme has produced at least 284 graduates. The latest cohort of 25 celebrated their completion in mid-2025, and e& immediately opened 100 new positions for a September 2025 intake — signalling the programme is scaling, not plateauing.
What elevates this above a standard graduate scheme is the partner ecosystem. Participants receive training developed with Microsoft, Harvard Business Review, LinkedIn, and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), combining deep technical skills with commercial acumen and regulatory literacy.
The diversity figures are striking. In the 2024 cohort, 62% of hires were women. Since launch, female participation across all cohorts has reached 81%. For a region where female representation in technology remains a strategic priority, e&'s programme offers a replicable benchmark for HR leaders designing their own pipelines.
AI Nation – Afaaq: 30,000 Learners, National Scale
e&'s workforce ambitions extend well beyond its own payroll. At GITEX Global in October 2025, the company announced AI Nation – Afaaq, a joint initiative with Amazon Web Services aimed at training 30,000 UAE learners in AI and machine learning.
The initiative will distribute 25,000 AWS Certified AI Practitioner exam vouchers and 5,000 AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate vouchers, creating a nationally certified AI talent pool that did not previously exist at this scale.
Afaaq is underpinned by a $1 billion strategic alliance between e& and AWS established in 2024 — one of the largest public-private AI skills investments in the GCC. For HR leaders, the downstream effect is significant: as thousands of newly certified AI professionals enter the UAE labour market, organisations will need assessment and screening workflows capable of evaluating AI competency at volume.
The Strategic Lesson for GCC Employers
e&'s dual strategy — an internal pipeline for immediate workforce needs plus a national initiative expanding the broader talent pool — reflects deliberate workforce architecture. The company serves more than 198 million subscribers across 38 countries and has set a target of 60% Emirati representation in its UAE workforce by 2030, aligned with the UAE Centennial 2071 plan.
This is not corporate philanthropy. It is a direct response to a structural talent shortage. Rather than competing for a finite pool of experienced AI professionals, e& chose to manufacture its own supply — and, through Afaaq, expand the national pool for everyone.
The lesson for other GCC employers is transferable regardless of scale. Structured employer-led programmes with credible certification partners produce AI talent that understands your business context from day one. For organisations without e&'s resources, the principle still applies: design a 6-to-12-month learning pathway, partner with a recognised certification body, and start producing AI-ready employees rather than recruiting for skills the market cannot supply.
As organisations like e& build large pools of AI-certified candidates, UAE-native platforms like OVI — whose Milo screening agent is designed for GCC hiring workflows — become relevant for companies needing to assess AI competency at volume.
What is e&'s AI Graduate Programme?
A 12-month structured programme launched in 2021 that places Emirati nationals in roles spanning AI, ML, cybersecurity, and business strategy. It has produced at least 284 graduates through partnerships with Microsoft, Harvard Business Review, LinkedIn, and ADGM.
What is AI Nation – Afaaq?
A joint initiative between e& and AWS announced at GITEX Global in October 2025, targeting 30,000 UAE learners. It provides 25,000 AWS Certified AI Practitioner vouchers and 5,000 AWS Certified ML Engineer – Associate vouchers, backed by a $1 billion AWS alliance.
What is e&'s Emiratisation target?
e& is targeting 60% Emirati representation in its UAE workforce by 2030, in alignment with the UAE Centennial 2071 plan.
What can other GCC employers learn from e&'s approach?
That building AI talent through structured employer-led programmes — with credible training partners and certification pathways — is more strategically sound than competing for scarce experienced hires. The model is transferable: design a learning pathway, partner with a certification body, and produce rather than recruit.
How does Afaaq differ from e&'s internal programme?
The AI Graduate Programme is internal to e&, placing graduates in company roles. Afaaq operates at national scale, certifying 30,000 UAE residents in AI skills through AWS vouchers — expanding the talent pool for all employers, not just e&.