1,000 Emirati students enroll in career readiness program
Zayed University and the Abdulla Al-Ghurair Foundation for Education have successfully marked the first year of their partnership, following a memorandum of understanding between the two entities to support Emirati youth along their education and early employment journeys.
Within a year, the partnership produced exceptional results with the flagship initiative. Zayed University student engagement in the Al-Ghurair Young Thinkers Program (YTP), an online education and career readiness platform provided by AGFE, recorded a strong response, registering more than 1,000 Emirati students.
The three-year agreement to formalize the partnership between the two entities and integrate YTP — which offers career exploration
professional and soft skills courses, and education and career information — targets 6,000 student enrollments by 2023.
Noura bint Mohammed Al-Kaaing
bi, minister of culture and youth, president of Zayed University, said: “The impressive results, achieved in the very first year of our partnership with AGFE highlight the
value-add that the private sector can bring to academia, especially in mentoring young Emirati talent for future careers. With academic programs and extracurricular activities aligned to enhance student skills and prepare them for future jobs, the partnership adds further value in our goal to empower the next generation of talented Emirati professionals.”
Abdul Aziz Al-Ghurair, chairman of the board of trustees of AGFE, said: “We entered into our partnership with Zayed University at a critical time, when the higher education sector and job opportunities for young Emiratis were affected by the pandemic. It was important to build strategic collaborations to create ecosystems of success for youth and their communities. Our goal was to create multiple programs to upskill youth and support faculty, taking into consideration our new reality. We are delighted with the success of the program in the very first year, and we are on an accelerated course to achieving our ambitious targets. We believe that empowering our youth is vital when it comes to realizing the development goals set by our leadership.”