2,000 Omani university students to undergo job training

Muscat: Some 2,000 Omani students from A’Sharqiyah University will receive job training, with another 600 receiving job placements, under an agreement with Silatech.
Silatech is a non-profit, non-governmental, social development organisation, aimed at empowering Arab youth by providing them the training and resources needed for professional development.
This two-year deal is the Qatar-based company’s first foray into Oman, where it plans to provide companies in the country with more career ready, skilled locals.
“The main concern is to support our graduates and those who are expected to graduate in finding jobs by helping them prepare themselves for the market needs,” said Mohammed Al Barajdi, director of the Student Services Department at A’Sharqiyah University.
“Our graduates will be taught how to write CVs, how to prepare themselves for the market, how to search for jobs, as well as systematic programmes called Tamheedh, which include psychoanalysis tests related to the needs of the workplace. “We have different programmes at the university, so most of the courses run by Silatech will benefit our graduates,” he added.
“This is a benefit for them, so their response has been highly positive. We are also conducting some workshops in coordination with them, to look at soft skills, and through the establishment of student companies and conducting mock interviews. We are also training some students to act as volunteers in our career training programmes. This exercise is called Sifarah.”
Al Barajdi was quick to emphasise the importance of student companies, which encouraged independent think and creative ideas in students from a young age onwards.
“In universities, colleges and even schools, students do sometimes have ideas to create and establish small companies,” he added. “If you are establishing a small company, each one needs people to run it, and all of these student companies are under the supervision of Injaz Oman.”
This non-profit organisation was created to increase the participation of Omani youth and their contribution to the nation’s economy, and will provide these student companies with training, consultation, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy and even ideas for them to bring to fruition.
Al Barajdi is confident that in the long-run, cooperation with organisations, such as Silatech, will aid the Sultanate’s plans of economic diversification through the Tanfeedh directives.
In addition to helping students in the country, Silatech has also penned an agreement with Riyada, the Sultanate’s government body, which oversees the development and regulation of small and medium enterprises in the nation.
“Apart from helping our students through these agreements, Silatech recently signed a deal with Riyada, so this will help students, who are looking for jobs and hoping to start their own companies,” said Al Barajdi.
Oman aside, Silatech has operations in 16 other nations: Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iraq, Comoros, Syria, Turkey and its native Qatar.