Adnoc Academy Launches Landmark Training Drive to Empower Emirati Women in Energy Sector

Emirati women are set to join the Adnoc Technical Academy's training programme for the very first time, taking up roles at operational sites across the UAE's energy industry. Beginning next month, the inaugural cohort will undertake a 24-month diploma programme that blends academic learning with hands-on training at Adnoc's operational sites. Each intake will feature up to 50 women, with roughly 250 female technicians projected to graduate between 2028 and 2030.

Participants will receive specialized training in electrical maintenance, instrument and control maintenance, mechanical maintenance, and oil and gas processing. This historic milestone was unveiled ahead of Emirati Women’s Day, which falls on Friday and is being extended for a full month this year.

Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, emphasized that the advancement of Emirati women demonstrates a nation where the female footprint in development has continuously grown. Represented by Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State, at Adnoc’s Emirati Women’s Day event at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre held under the theme 'Together, We Rise Stronger and Better', Sheikha Fatima stated: “Women are at the heart of society. They nurture families, educate generations, strengthen the national economy, and serve as ministers, ambassadors, business leaders, doctors and engineers. They shape the future of our nation.”

Hour Al Blooshi, an 18-year-old participant in the new diploma initiative, noted that the expanding landscape of opportunities means few career paths are now closed to Emirati women. “Now, in 2026, I am seeing Emirati women everywhere,” she remarked. “I don’t see a career that they are not trying to enter.”

Ahmed Al Menhali, director general of academic services at Adnoc Technical Academy, explained to The National that the curriculum prepares women for vital technical and operator positions alongside male colleagues. He noted a shift in societal attitudes, stating that community acceptance for women entering traditionally male-dominated roles has steadily grown following surveys conducted in 2022 and this year.

Young women entering the programme have also found crucial backing from their families. Participants such as Maryam Al Awani, Alia Al Dhaheri, and Mariam Al Kaabi highlighted the strong encouragement from relatives and the overarching desire to serve and contribute to the UAE.

The initiative directly aligns with Adnoc's broader goal to reach 25 per cent female representation in technical positions by 2030. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Adnoc managing director and group chief executive, stressed that creating these pathways honors a national vision laid down by UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and propelled forward by the UAE leadership and Sheikha Fatima.