NICEIC has branched out its operations to include assessments of workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Although it’s still early days for NICEIC in the Middle East, the organisation has already impressed several high-profile regional firms.
Mick Dalton, Director of FM at Meraas, is one proponent of the organisation’s work.
He said: “All FM companies in the Middle East, especially in the UAE, need to raise their game and train their technical staff to NICEIC standards to ensure staff are competent to do electrical work.”
Markus Oberlin, chief executive officer of NICEIC registered FM firm Farnek, stated:
“NICEIC accreditation embodies our commitment to provide high-quality services, and gives our customers and clients the confidence to know that electrical work is carried out to the highest technical standards by a reputable and reliable company.”
NICEIC was initially invited to the Middle East back in 2015 at the request of a major employer who wanted third party accreditation for the quality of its electrical workers. The company wanted to demonstrate how its workers were assessed to the most relevant and stringent levels of competency.
Since then more and more firms have sought NICEIC accreditation – including many facilities maintenance firms who have overall responsibility for the management of buildings in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Eddie Arrowsmith NICEIC’s Regional Engineering manager, who looks after the Middle East operation, said: “There’s a dichotomy in this region. “On the one hand, the buildings here are extremely sophisticated; far more complex than those that you’d generally find in the UK, in terms of size, loadings, and technology. On the other hand, the competency levels and skills base of electrical contractors tends to be quite weak in comparison.
“It’s not that electrical contractors here are unskilled; they simply haven’t had access to the relevant information. There is very little in the way of formal training in this region and that is where NICEIC can help.”
“NICEIC’s primary strategy is to speak with owners, developers, and operators from the region’s property market.
“We need to convey the message that companies that have been assessed for competency represent a lower risk than those that have not. It will be a long process, but I am confident that there’s a real desire to raise the bar in the Middle East.”