Zain launches 'Future University Network' in Bahrain

Bahrain is the second country to officially launch the project, following a similar and successful launch in Jordan in October 2007.

F.U.N. is a youth development entity made up of university students who invest in themselves, under Zain's guardianship, to feed their minds and sculpt their professional skills through teamwork, collaboration, training and practical field work. F.U.N. project is more than just an internship; it also gives student team members opportunities to develop projects and come up with innovative business ideas and test them against the real world, gaining management, hands-on know how.

Present at the announcement ceremony was Zain Group CEO, Dr. Saad Al Barrak, Zain Bahrain GM Mohammed Zainalabedin, as well as senior Bahraini government and education officials.

"The F.U.N. project was born out of Zain's commitment to the youth of Bahrain, who make up 25% of the total population,"

said Dr. Al Barrak.

"We believe that every country that seeks to progress and develop exponentially must focus on youth. It is a strategy that has been one of the cornerstones of the Zain's growth story, and we believe it should be disseminated into the community."

Dr Al Barrak added that the initiative was in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 development blueprint.

"The harnessing of the talent and vision of young people is vital for Bahrain's progress and Zain can offer an exciting platform for this purpose through the F.U.N. project."

The groundwork has already been laid with the selection of the first group of F.U.N. team members through extensive interviews to assess their technical and networking skills. Over 50 young Bahraini students will be inducted into the Zain F.U.N team by the end of 2009.

Zain Bahrain General Manager Mohammed Zainalabedin, himself a recognized "young" leader in the regional telecommunications arena, was recently been acknowledged in the top global 40 telecom leaders by Global Telecoms magazine. He promised that the Bahrain F.U.N. operations would represent a cutting-edge incubator in which youth leadership and entrepreneurial skills would be recognized, nurtured and rewarded. He said the impact of F.U.N. would echo around the community, far beyond the corporate borders of Zain Bahrain.

"It is about giving young people room to expand their creativity and test it against real obstacles," he said.

"The F.U.N. project is not a paper chase but a hands-on experience that will allow team members to grow into admirable professionals who will contribute richly to the growth and development of the Kingdom of Bahrain,"

Zainalabedin said.

Such has been the project's impact in Jordan that it has evolved into a separate stand-alone company, providing Zain services and products to the youth segment as well as managing some of Zain Jordan's events, It is part-owned and run by the students with its own office space and is managed by a Zain MD. The F.U.N. members are fully exposed to the corporate environment and where they are invited to in-house training sessions.

Over the years, Zain has welcomed student interns from all local universities to help enhance the personal and professional skills needed for today's job market.

A number of 'Future University Network' graduates are currently employees of Zain in Jordan as well as with the Zain Group Head office in Bahrain, including the current Youth Programs Director Dina Sa'ad. The F.U.N. project will be soon rolled-out in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Nigeria and Sudan, all countries in which Zain has a presence.