Under the patronage of the U.S Embassy in Muscat, the OABC has supported an exclusive two-day recruitment platform for local companies to meet the 700 Omani Scholars set to depart for the U.S on international scholarships. OABC’s facilitation of the event presented the opportunity for Omani and American businesses to establish relations with the students set to embark upon the experience-based program, allowing them to explore potential work placements in Oman and the United States.
Hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), the event was attended by a number of dignitaries including Asia Al Lamki, Cultural Attaché of the Omani Embassy in Washington D.C., Dr Kahlan Al Kharusi, Assistant of the Grand Mufti, and Ahmed Al Azri, Director of Scholarships at MoHE.
“This event presented an exceptional opportunity to establish a strong recruitment relationship with this group of gifted students,” said Jonathan Cooper, OABC Board Member and Executive Vice President of Vision Investment Services Company. “One of OABC’s future goals is to facilitate the establishment of an internship exchange program for students in Oman and in the United States.”
Alongside with SME mentorship, internship programs are another format that OABC has focused on in recent months. Half a year ago OABC Board of Directors was approached by the group of students and graduates from SQU who presented the Jisser Student Internship Platform project, main purpose of which is to provide a space for match-making of internship opportunities present at the market with the available student and recent graduate’s profiles. OABC agreed to support students with this initiative and invited them to share their idea at the send off event in MoHE.
Nujaida bint Mohammed Al Maskari, a member of the Jisser team, stated, “Considering that 50% of Omanis are under 30 years of age, internship opportunities of this kind offer invaluable work experience that will prove instrumental in broadening the horizon for future generations while creating a more robust and competitive workforce.”