Over 50 Bahraini youth benefit from YAL's Summer Internship initiative

The programme commenced on 27th June with over 50 final year university students and fresh graduates attending the five day workshop on soft skills training followed by a chance to compete for challenging internships in some of Bahrain's top companies.

Launched this year, the concept of the programme evolved when it was realised that companies are usually reluctant to hire fresh Bahraini graduates because of their lack of soft skills needed in the work place, as well as the inability to put their education into practice.

Students who successfully completed the workshop and internship were presented with certificates of appreciation by Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chairman of YAL Bahrain in an event recently held at the University of Bahrain Campus.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa encouraged the Bahraini Youth to benefit from this unique experience, 'In today's highly competitive market, successful careers are built on strong communication skills, education and experience. I commend YAL Bahrain and its members for their constant advocacy and commitment towards the development of the Bahraini youth.'

'Internships are designed to build knowledge and experience and to give Youth an opportunity to confirm their career aspirations. Through initiatives like Steps to Success, YAL Bahrain is dedicated to contribute to unemployment issues timely,'

he further added.

The programme was sponsored by Zain Telecommunications and took place at the Zain E-Learning Centre at the University of Bahrain from 27th June to 1st July 2009.

Designed to further develop the YAL Internship Initiative into an intensive soft skills programme and maximize the learning process, the workshop adopted an unconventional approach to teach students lessons in interview skills, CV writing, critical thinking, teamwork, responsibility and leadership with the help of HR representatives from participating companies.

YAL Bahrain members, Amin Al Arrayed, General Manager of First Bahrain, Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat, CEO of KFH-Bahrain and Bassim Al Alawi, MD of Al Alawi Factories, were among the industry personalities who addressed the students during the workshop. Additionally, Chief People Officer of Gulf Air, Ahmed Al Banna shared his knowledge on Human Resources Development.

The workshop was followed by four weeks of internship further enabling the participants to put what they had learnt into an industrial or business context in a way that they couldn't before, and in the process develop skills like time management and the ability to focus.

The selected candidates trained at Zain, First Bahrain, Gulf Air, Economic Development Board, Alba, Ahmed Bin Hindi, Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait, Gulf Equipment Technologies, HSBC, Solidarity, BAPCO, ASRY, American Express, Central Bank of Bahrain, Fortune Promoseven, Gulf Hill & Knowlton, Gulf Hotel, United Gulf Bank, Mena Telecom, Investcorp, Life Insurance Corporation and Nestle.

Expressing his delight on the success of this project, Mazin Al Shehabi, Vice Chairman of YAL Bahrain said: 'Youth is the future and it feels rewarding to be able to assist them in any way. Our aim was to provide the final year students and fresh graduates with an opportunity to move self-sufficiently within the labour market to realise their potential, eventually enabling the high-achieving placement students to go on and grow with the company when they are employed.'

'We thank Zain Telecommunications for their generosity and remain ever grateful to all companies and individuals who endorsed this programme and look forward to their continued support,' he said.