du’s second Work Skills programme a resounding success as 300 Emirati students graduate

The end of du’s second consecutive year of Work Skills training programme saw 300 Emirati student graduate, during a ceremony held at Dubai Men’s College Campus, on 31 May. This unique training programme provides UAE Nationals with essential vocational skills to give them a head start in their future careers, at no cost.

Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Human Resources and Shared Services Officer, and Yaser Obaid, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, attended to congratulate the graduates and training partners on behalf of du.   

The ceremony was attended by representatives of universities and colleges, and training agencies that participated in the programme to make it a great success. The partners include the Majid bin Mohammed UAE Nationals Training Initiative, Khalifa University Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Campus,United Arab Emirates University, Higher Colleges of Technology, Zayed University Abu Dhabi & Dubai Campus,  Abu Dhabi University, Sharjah American University and the University of Sharjah.

This is an exciting day for everyone involved. Our second consecutive year of Work Skills training programme has been a phenomenal success, and we are very proud to have providing 300 Emirati students with the skills that will make a positive difference to the success of their future careers, said Fahad Al Hassawi. We are a proudly Emirati company and believe that it is our responsibility to support and nurture talent UAE Nationals. Programmes such as Work Skills give graduates a competitive edge in the workplace. This is not only beneficial for them as individuals, but for their community and the country as a whole.

He added: I would like to thank our partners for their support in this initiative, as well as the higher education organisations that nominated their students to participate. We are confident that our next Work Skills training programme will be a bigger success, as it continues to grow.

The Work Skills training programme was held in cooperation with Khalifa University, Zayed University, American University in Dubai, High Colleges of Technology and American University of Sharjah. Academic and training partners were ABAMI Consultancy and Training, Executive Skills Training, International House Dubai, PROTRAINING, Franklin Covey.

Created as part of du's Emiratisation and Corporate Social Responsibility efforts and first held in 2011 with 120 graduates, du’s Work Skills training programme a first-of-its-kind initiative, in that it allows students nominated by participating institutions to learn.

Subjects imparted as part of the programme include Interpersonal Skills, Preparation as a Job Seeker, Think on Your Feet, Power Reading Skills, Business Writing for Professionals, Business Etiquette, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Interview Techniques, Settling into a Job, Effective Team Working, Communication at the Workplace and Succeeding at Job Search and Job Interviewing.