Dubai, UAE, 04 July 2022: Mashreq Bank has signed a strategic partnership with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education to support its recently launched NOMU Initiative. The multi-sector national youth development project is designed to impact 25,000 Emirati nationals with market-driven, industry-led training and work integrated learning opportunities to improve their employability and support the national priority areas of the United Arab Emirates.

 

Under the initiative, Emirati youth will benefit from structured work integrated education models where they are given the opportunity to work in an industry related to their field alongside their academic education. The program involves the private sector and universities working together by applying real-world learning, keeping up with technological skills and solving workforce challenges.

 

Mashreq and the Foundation will select high-achieving graduates each year from TechUp a pathway project under the NOMU initiative designed to support foundational and practitioner level digital literacy skill development. The students will receive paid internships at Mashreq, with the potential to gain full employment with one of the leading financial institutions in the UAE.

 

Ahmed Abdelaal, Group Chief Executive Officer, Mashreq, said: “We are delighted to play our part in empowering the next generation of Emiratis and providing them with the skills to succeed in tomorrow’s workforce today. For several years we have been practicing an active and dynamic Emiratization strategy in line with the UAE Government’s efforts to raise awareness and encourage more localization across the financial services industry. This latest partnership with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education will serve to strengthen that further by creating a pipeline of Emirati youth from the NOMU initiative, who can be integrated into the Mashreq family according to their skills and education level.” 

 

NOMU is contributing towards the UAE government-led 'Projects of the 50' plan to boost the country’s global competitiveness and supply it with equipped young Emirati talent. It is also helping to advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

Underlining the significance of the partnership, Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, said: “We are excited to welcome Mashreq Bank on board as our first hiring partner under the NOMU initiative. We are dedicated to working with partners who understand and value the contribution Emirati professionals can make as talent that is needed in the private sector. This is part of our commitment to supporting the UAE’s future vision of a diverse competitive and skilled workforce. We carefully design our programs to provide young candidates a rigorous blended learning experience with relevant international qualification training. This partnership with Mashreq is an example of how, together, we are able to nurture and develop the future local leaders of the region.”