UAE Graduates Are Given Employability Boost With Future Skills Program By HSBC And Education For Employment

Over 60 young Emiratis have successfully graduated from a national future skills program designed by Education For Employment (EFE) and HSBC, in partnership with Ras Al Khaimah HR Department and Zayed University.

The Design Your Future Career program was created to equip the graduates with skills to help prepare them for the job market.

Dima Najim, Managing Director of EFE in the UAE, remarked that: “Through this partnership with HSBC, Ras Al Khaimah Human Resources Department, and Zayed University, EFE was able to utilize its global expertise in work readiness training to provide the young participants with valuable skills in communication, customer service, design thinking, presentation, personal branding, as well as individual growth, and understanding the business environment.”

The program supports youths to develop and practice entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial skills and teaches them how to create opportunities and engage with external stakeholders. It culminated with the participants presenting a final pitch project to a panel of business experts, enabling them to utilize the skills they had learned through the course.

Sabrin Rahman, Regional Head of Sustainability for HSBC in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey, said: “Providing support to youth learning and the training of future skills is an important part of HSBC’s sustainability strategy, and is an area that we look to have a real impact on in the region. We believe in the power of today’s youth to help build a stronger tomorrow for themselves and their communities, and their employability and entrepreneurialism is vital. Our partnership with Education For Employment is a fruitful and effective initiative in supporting graduates to achieve this.”

“We are pleased that our partnership with the Education for Employment (EFE) and HSBC bank has entered its second continuous batch. Together we have supported over 40 Zayed University fresh graduates and provided them the assistance and training they needed to enter the UAE labor market with the required set of skills, determination, and confidence. Such partnerships boost the employability rates of our Alumni and create more direct opportunities,” said Rashed Al Shamsi, Acting Director of Student Careers and Alumni Department, at Zayed University.

Aamna Al Shehhi, Department Manager of Emiratization and Talents, RAK Human Resources Department, said: “In fulfilment of Ras Al Khaimah 2030 vision and the strategy of the Human Resources Department in promoting Emiratization and qualifying job seekers to be able to recruit Emirati talent who have skills that meet the demands of the job market as well as skills in line with the requirements of the future job market, we are delighted to be partners with EFE and HSBC.”

For Aisha Al Bafta, graduating from the program was a major personal and professional milestone. She said, “Completing this program helped me to enhance my interpersonal skills, such as problem-solving, teamwork, and presentation skills. The program helped me gain my current job, as the interviewer was impressed with the design thinking process I presented from the training. My advice to other graduates who may be apprehensive about the current job market, is to join the program and start developing your skillset.”

Al Bafta has joined Al Futtaim after completing the program.

Graduates have the opportunity to join an Entrepreneurship Training program that focuses on marketing, financial, and operational skills that are vital for starting a small business.