The aim in this research is to investigate the skills needed by female Emirati nationals in order to be successful as accounting professionals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in both the public and private sector. The research team first interviewed a number of senior female accountants working in the UAE, together with a period of time spent observing accountants in the workplace. They also conducted a survey of existing accounting teaching materials used in tertiary education across the country, and they interviewed several cohorts of female Zayed University (ZU) accounting majors during their period of internship to find out about their experiences in the workplace as neophyte accountants. The team then used this information to generate a set of guidelines for use in tertiary level accounting education at federal institutions in the UAE. The research recommends ways to increase levels of retention in the national labour force for senior female accountants, and in doing so, it contributes to the process of Emiratization.