Barclays launches Women's Leadership Programme

The five women selected for the WLP will be assigned a series of projects in departments outside of their own to increase their exposure to the other business units and groom them to take on more responsibility.

Soft skills instruction, coursework and on the job training will all be utilised to further develop and hone their skills.

"Women tend to fall off the corporate ladder once they reach the higher rungs,"

said Dina Amin, one of the five selected for the programme and the Head of Business Cards at Barclays Bank UAE.

"This initiative recognizes the important role women play in the workforce and encourages all of us to pursue the professional goals we have set for ourselves."

The programme was restricted to the middle management grades because it tend to be the "tipping point" in the professional career of a woman.

"To retain talented female employees, businesses have to go the extra mile to encourage women who choose to remain in the workforce and equip them with the right tools for their career enhancement." said Amin.

A six months mentoring programme will be created for each of the five employees. Following completion of the programme each of the participants will be asked to mentor a less senior female employee at Barclays - thereby extending the reach and efficiency of the programme.

The WLP programme in the UAE is a part of the larger, award winning Diversity and Inclusion campaign that Barclays has implemented across all of the markets it operates in. The Diversity and Inclusion campaign allows each market the flexibility to identify specific areas they would like to focus their resources toward improving. After thorough review, Barclays in the UAE chose to devote special attention to the retention and promotion of female managers in the organisation.