Jadarah attracts new industry giants in the quest to retain young Arab talent

Dubai Future Foundation, Amazon Web Services (AWS), The University of Manchester Middle East Centre, SHERAA (Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre), Step Group and Microsoft have pledged support to give 20 selected graduates the opportunity to nurture and develop their skills through tailored activities.

Through Jadarah, Arab youth from the region; selected after a process of interviews and assessments last summer, were presented with the opportunity to discover a plethora of best practices and industry insights from the new partners. This collaboration helps to increase and maximise career prospects of the region’s young talent.

Microsoft offered a full day session on the company’s history and structure before focusing on artificial intelligence and the future of the company.

Dubai Future Foundation introduced the graduates to Area 2071, a creative and innovative hub, where they were able to refine their business ideas, pitches, presentation skills and were provided access to its ecosystem of other accelerators and mentors share the experience of other similar programs and entrepreneurs.

Claudia Mortimer, Head of Conferences & Events, STEP Group.

Step Group offered candidates the full 360 view on start-ups, introduced them to the key players and influencers in the industry and organised a tour of a few of the top incubators and accelerators in Dubai for the participants. They will also be hosting participants at STEP 2019 next month rendering them the opportunity to explore the innovation scene not only in the UAE but in the MENA region as well.

SHERAA invited the graduates to the prestigious Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival, whereby they got the chance to see entrepreneurs in action pitching for investment.

The University of Manchester Middle East Centre focused on the more holistic side of effective business practices; including tutorials on stress management and emotional intelligence; both essential in the workplace and vital components of leadership.

Through the AWS Activate program, AWS is offering credits to start-ups that join Jadarah, as well as technical support and other resources to help them develop and advance their cloud skills. The AWS Cloud gives entrepreneurs and start-ups the ability to build a business very quickly with much lower technology costs, allowing them to experiment as they pioneer new products and services.

Commenting on the new partners, Laila Al Omran, head of Jadarah said, “When we first launched Jadarah in May 2018, we had great partners such as Twitter, Facebook, Amadeus and Udacity join us. Since then, we have had the honour to welcome more industry leaders on board to support this initiative as it sparked great interest in the industry.

Elena Agragimova, manager, Careers & Alumni – Middle East Centre, The University of Manchester.

“Al Tayyar believes in nurturing young talent and is committed to empowering graduates with the tools and skills they need to excel in their career. As the programme ends in two months, we have placed the graduates in various departments in line with their interests. Together with our partners, we hope to give them the knowledge and hands-on experience required in the current job market in the Middle East.”

Aligned with the UAE’s Vision 2021 ‘United In Knowledge’ and Saudi’s 2030 vision, Jadarah aims to empower local youth by providing them with the right tools to strive for their own success. They also aim to expand the country’s job market and continue to strengthen the knowledge-based economy.

Dubai Future Foundation

“AREA 2071 aims to attract and develop talent and startups to implement solutions impacting millions globally. Programmes like Jadarah provide an opportunity for young local and regional entrepreneurs equipped with unique talents and ideas to kick-start their venture journey. I am both excited and confident that the partnership between AREA 2071 and Jadarah will help encourage ideation and creativity as well as prepare the next wave of leaders and entrepreneurs.” said Saeed Al Falasi, Executive Director – Platforms of the Future.

Microsoft

“Today technology sits at the core of every sector, which makes it one of the most important industries of the 21st century. Microsoft believes that the young minds looking to explore a career in IT must embrace what we call a ‘tech intensity’ mindset, to develop digital capabilities for their organisation and its customers – and drive tech adoption. Our innovative technologies in combination with trainings, mentorships and platforms such as the Microsoft Cloud Society and Virtual Academy – are all aimed at empowering today’s youth to build their tech acumen, and contribute to the IT talent pool, and cater to the needs of our fast-changing world. Thus, contributing to a programme like Jadarah was a great opportunity for both us and the students as we are committed to developing future leaders in the region,” said Salma Bader, Director of Learning and Development, Microsoft Middle East and Africa.

The University of Manchester Middle East Centre

“Since our launch in the region in 2006, we have devoted significant time and effort to engage with the local community through various initiatives. A programme like Jadarah is focused on learning and developments and we provide students with sessions on emotional intelligence and stress management to help them excel in their career,” said Elena Agragimova, manager, Careers & Alumni – Middle East Centre, The University of Manchester.

STEP Group

“We believe in growing the start-up industry and offering youth in the region opportunities to grow. Supporting a program like Jadarah where the objective is to foster talent and provide connections to potential young entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, is in line with our vision at STEP.” said Claudia Mortimer, Head of Conferences & Events, STEP Group.

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