Young Kuwaitis up for challenge of retail

Young Kuwaitis from Grade 10 to University Undergraduate third year, will be gaining experience and learning the retail trade in some of M.H. Alshaya's most famous stores including Starbucks, H&M, The Body Shop, Foot Locker, Mothercare, Debenhams, River Island and others.

The summer long programme will include training, customer service and, most importantly, acquiring the skills needed to work in a team.

After receiving their acceptance letters this week some of the successful interns said they were both excited and enthused by the prospect of working in one of the fastest growing businesses in the Middle East.

Sixteen year old Noor Abdulrazak from Mishref High School said:

"My father encouraged me to participate in the programme and I am really looking forward to interning with a company as well known as Alshaya. I intend to become a doctor in the future and want to learn how to deal and interact with people. This training is the right platform and will provide me with the necessary experience that I need to pursue my future career plans."

Deema Al Ali, 15 years of age, from the British School of Kuwait, said: "Jumpstart your Career has provided me with a great opportunity to work in a multinational firm. I am really excited and look forward to developing my communication skills and interacting directly with customers. I was told about this program at school and was encouraged by my teacher to join.

Faisal Al Salem, 16 years of age commented that at first he was a bit apprehensive but went onto say: "when I saw all my friends joining, I applied. I also read informational flyers about the program at Starbucks. I am now very excited about this training, a lot of my friends have also joined and I feel that we have made the right decision - I hope I get the opportunity to work at Starbucks."

Mr. Mohammed Alshaya , Executive Chairman of M.H. Alshaya Co. said he was impressed with the determination of the successful applicants to do something different and constructive with their summer vacation:

"We are giving our young people the chance to discover and experience retail at first hand," he said. "We expect them to learn vital lessons including working in a team. I am sure these six weeks will help their future careers as positive members of the Kuwaiti and international community," he said.

Mr. Saud Abdul Mohsin Al Zabin, Corporate Support Manager, said "Our main objective is to encourage young Kuwaitis to experience working in the private sector. Working in retail provides great development opportunities for career paths. At Alshaya we can provide a chance for these students to gain first-hand experience in retail operations and insight into its management"

"For M.H. Alshaya this programme is both a valuable and significant commitment - all those students who applied were interviewed; those who were selected will be allocated to jobs according to their interests, qualifications and personality. On completing the programme students will receive a certificate and a financial reward," he concluded.

Since the launch of the "Jumpstart Your Career" summer programme on May 16th, the number of prospective applicants for the 1,000 internships that have been processed has surpassed 800 with dozens more being processed daily.

The programme provides the students with the option of either working for 4 hours a day for six weeks, or an intense 8 hours a day for three weeks. Students also get to choose the working shifts according to their preference.

The announcement of the "Jumpstart your Career" programme comes at a time when the region's expanding retail sector is being looked upon as a major provider of jobs in the years to come.