Deloitte Launches Middle East Student Training Program for 2,000 High School Students in Six Countries

By Michael Foster, Big4.com Blogger

Deloitte has partnered with several schools across the Middle East to offer a hands-on introduction to business to over 2,000 high school students.

Deloitte Middle East has launched the Injaz Al Arab Be Entrepreneurial Programme across six countries in the region to provide students with skills they need to perform and succeed in the business world. The program gathers volunteers in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Palestine to train and work with youths in those countries.

Omar Fahoum, Deloitte Middle East CEO and Chairman, said that the program aims to improve employment rates in the region. “With one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world, it is important for our region that young Arabs are equipped with business and entrepreneurial skills to create job opportunities and achieve long-term success,” he said.

One of the focuses is increasing digital literacy and “closing the skills gap,” Fahoum said.

Volunteers from Deloitte will serve as mentors and develop programs that develop and improve skills by leading hands-on training and sharing insights from their experiences in the professional world. Students will be taught the basics of business development and management, as well as how to maintain a profitable business and management skills.

At the end of the program, participating students will develop a regional business plan and compete on which program is best. Business leaders will be invited to finance the youngsters’ start-ups.

The plan is part of Deloitte’s focus on “sustainability and societal impact,” according to Talent and Communications parnter Rana Ghandour Salhab.