First Emirati graduate managers complete training

The graduation ceremony was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and Chairman of Etihad Airways.

The graduate managers received their certificates at a ceremony held at Etihad's new training academy in Abu Dhabi HH Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Etihad Airways and James Hogan, the airline's Chief Executive.

The 12 Emirati graduates started the 18 month course in October 2007 and have now taken up a variety of management positions across the company. It follows the successful graduation of Etihad's first batch of Emirati cadet pilots in February this year.

Mr Hogan said, "Each of the 12 graduate managers has demonstrated tremendous drive and ambition during the last year and a half. This is a very proud moment for everyone at Etihad Airways as they complete their training and join the airline across our network of more than 50 global destinations."

"As the national airline of the UAE it is vital that we have Emiratis working in all areas of the company and so to have our own 'home grown' managers developing their careers with us is fantastic," he added.

The GMDP involves a combination of classroom learning and hands-on experience. Each graduate spends time in a variety of Etihad departments finding out about all aspects of the airline's business, including customer service, sales and marketing, reservations, pricing and ticketing, network and schedule planning, finance and human resources.

The programme delivers a business-related, internationally accredited qualification, which is underpinned by National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ).

Upon receiving his graduation certificate Haitham Subaihi, from Abu Dhabi said, "The graduate management development programme proved a challenging time for all of the graduates but we are delighted to have completed our training. In just five years Etihad Airways has made incredible progress, both in terms of state-of-the-art fleet as well as the many destinations the airline flies to around the world, and it makes me immensely proud to be part of this success story."

The graduates are: Amna Al Zaabi, Mansour Al Marzouqi, Saleem Al Marzooqi, Mohammed Al Shamisi, Shaeb Najjar, Salama Omar, Haitham Al Subaihi, Aisha Al Ameer, Othman Al Ghafli, Jehan Mohamed, Shareefa Al Hammadi and Najla Al Nahdi.