Young Arab Leaders will launch Arab American Business Fellowship

Launched in 2007, the Fellowship is a programme aspiring to train as well as develop the skills of promising young leaders, from the Middle East and the United States through two key elements- education and learning.

The YAL AABF is a partnership between the Young Arab Leaders (YAL), Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD), and the National U.S. Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC).

This programme is in line with YAL's goal to created employment opportunities through developing education, leadership, and entrepreneurship skills in the Arab Youth.

AABF encourages the development of a dialogue between Arab business executives and their American counterparts, creating an environment in that informed opinions and knowledge flows in both directions.

AABF is structured for high-potential executives from participating Arab and U.S. companies and not an internship programme for students or entry-level employees.

The highly competitive programme that is scheduled to take place in October 2009, will accommodate 20 Arab Fellows this year. Selected Fellows will be hosted by leading international corporations in the USA, such as Dow Chemical Company, Time Warner, NASDAQ, Microsoft and Boeing. Similarly, their American counterparts will visit Dubai School of Government, Global Investment House and DubaiLand to name a few.

The ideal candidate would be an Arab living and working in the MENA region with the following characteristics:

• A young professional with proven academic skills and at least 5 years of work experience
• Between 25 and 35 years of age
• Committed to return to their country and contribute to the socio-economic development of their country through implementing new skills and knowledge acquired from the programme
• Established in a career, with a track record of excellence and achievement, and the prospect of becoming a leader in his/her chosen field
• Demonstrate at an interview that they possess the personal qualities to benefit from the programme and use it to succeed in their chosen career
• Have a clear idea how their participation will benefit their country upon their return.

Application requirements:

• An updated curriculum vitae
• Letter of recommendation from employer
• 2000 words statement of intent.

Deadline for submission of the above details is Monday, 25 May, 2009.