Standard Chartered's continued commitment to Emiratisation

The Bank is once again a gold sponsor of the Dubai Career Fair 2007, and will also participate in a number of major career fairs throughout the UAE aimed at attracting and developing local talent.

Standard Chartered will have a significant presence at career fairs such as the American University in Dubai, American University in Sharjah, Zayed University, Sharjah Career Fair and Al Ain Career Fair throughout the first half of 2007.

"At Standard Chartered, we employ almost 60,000 people worldwide, representing over 90 nationalities and have a global commitment to developing local talent in all the countries where we do business. This blends naturally with the Bank's commitment to Diversity & Inclusion, which is at the heart of our values," said Nigel Jones, CEO, Standard Chartered UAE.

In most territories, Standard Chartered's workforce consists of predominantly local nationals. The Bank offers employees international exposure and is committed to developing world class professionals in both domestic and international markets.

"We bring this same commitment to the UAE," continues Jones, "Emiratisation is the central tenet of our ambition to develop the banking sector of this country and contribute to the further growth of the nation."

Standard Chartered consistently meets nationalisation targets set by the UAE government, and has won government awards for the Bank's commitment and contribution to Emiratisation.

"We currently partner with leading academic institutions in the UAE to formulate comprehensive training programmes for new recruits and existing staff members who are nationals," said Aida Hamza, Head of Emiratisation, Standard Chartered Bank, "We are dedicated to long term career progression for nationals within our organisation and to providing them with unique global opportunities."

The Al Mawarid Induction Programme was developed in conjunction with the Emirates Institute of Banking & Finance in Sharjah (EIBFS) to teach aspiring bankers the fundamental principles of banking operations.

To develop the Bank's pipeline of future leaders, the Al Tahadi Educational Support Programme was introduced in 2006 to offer UAE nationals at universities financial support during their course of study. Once these students graduate, they are guaranteed employment within the Bank, locally or internationally.

In conjunction with Tanmia, Standard Chartered runs a comprehensive training scheme 'The Entry Level Banking Curriculum' (ELBC), and the Bank has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to train and develop UAE nationals for careers in the financial services industry.

"Another significant initiative of Standard Chartered is our collaboration with the Higher Colleges Technology (HCT). We have signed an MoU with HE Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of the institution in Abu Dhabi. This partnership is aimed to develop a strong Emirati workforce and to creating an indigenous talent pool for the Bank," continued Hamza.

"All these initiatives underscore Standard Chartered's strong leadership in the UAE. We would like to build a world class banking industry and nurture local talent so they will become the financial leaders of the future to further progress this modern nation.

"Our brand promise is to be The Right Partner to our stakeholders, and we are both proud and confident that Standard Chartered is living up to that promise in the UAE."