AURAK Hosts Education for Employment Job Placement Training Program Graduation Ceremony

The Education For Employment (EFE) and Citi Foundation, in collaboration with initiative partner, the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK), graduated thirty female Emirati youth through the Education for Employment Job Placement Training Program at a ceremony held on the University campus.

AURAK is a government-owned institution of higher education that provides an integrated North American-style education, and is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and offers 22 undergraduate and graduate programs across a wide range of disciplines.  AURAK began collaborating with EFE, a renowned youth employment agency in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Citi Foundations concerning the EFE Job Placement Training Program in 2017. The aim of the program was to provide young, prospective Emirati professionals and university graduates with training and opportunities to establish professional connections with local businesses and industries in efforts to reduce unemployment.  AURAK was EFE’s first university partnership in the UAE, and the Job Placement Training is in alignment with the UAE Vision 2021 to mobilize the capability of the young Emirati population. This program has enabled thirty female Emirati youth to begin work at Ras Al Khaimah’s call center upon graduation.

“Today is a proud day for us as we share in this momentous occasion for the graduates who have taken advantage of this program and they witness the fruits of their labor,” Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, President of AURAK, stated. “It is most gratifying to see that our enterprise with Education For Employment and Citi Foundation has succeeded in empowering the UAE workforce with essential expertise required for professional prosperity, solidifying a foundation for their personal futures and the future of the Gulf region.  We have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of such an auspicious alliance."

Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, Andrew Baird, EFE-Global CEO, commented, “Education For Employment recognizes that young women and men in the UAE and across the Middle East and North Africa have extraordinary potential to transform the future through the dignity of work. We are proud to enable young Emirati women to thrive in life through their jobs and to support UAE Vision 2021 in partnership with Citi Foundation, AURAK.”

Brandee McHale, Head of the Citi Foundation, said, “At Citi Foundation, we are committed to preparing youth with career readiness skills and opportunities to thrive in today’s economy through our Pathways to Progress global approach. Against this background, after four years of successful partnership with EFE in Morocco and Tunisia, we were pleased to expand our collaboration with EFE into the UAE to harness the potential of young Emirati women to succeed in work and in life. Hearing all the positive experiences from the graduates themselves today spurs us on to do even more in this space moving forward.”