Dubai, UAE, 19th May 2010- 124 Year Two Business students from Dubai Women’s College (DWC) experienced banking fundamentals through the JA Banks in Action program. The program was organized by INJAZ-UAE, a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide - the world’s largest non-profit business education organization, in cooperation with Dubai Women’s College and Citibank volunteers.

The JA Banks in Action program teaches students the principles of the banking industry and introduces them to the challenges of successfully operating a bank in a competitive environment through hands-on classroom activities and local competitions. The participating students were very excited to simulate running a bank. Latifa Salem Al Jabri shared: “In these three weeks I learnt a lot of things about the banking sector, such us how the banks operate, reserve requirement, etc. The program is fun and we learn using some activities and games and the global online simulation.”

In 2009, the JA Banks in Action program was piloted for the first time in the UAE by INJAZ-UAE with the help of Citibank volunteers. Speaking about the mentoring experience, Mr. Mohammed Azab, Executive Director of Citi Private Bank in UAE said, "It was great to be able to share our work experience with DWC students and to offer insights on how banking fits in future career aspirations of young UAE nationals. It was equally satisfying to see the level of interest and engagement by students who showed remarkable interest in banking. We at Citi are very proud of being the main sponsor of this initiative in the UAE as well as globally."

This semester, the program was introduced at DWC as part of the Personal Financial Management course. Fahmida Habib, Financial Services Faculty at DWC and team leader for the course, explained the need for it: “Interaction with industry role models is highly motivating for our students. We were fortunate to have seven senior managers from Citibank UAE to volunteer their precious time and work with our students over three weeks.”

In addition to educating young people around the world about the banking industry, the JA Banks in Action program also encourages students to become better citizens and smarter consumers. Commenting on the overarching impact of the program Sulaf Al-Zu’bi, CEO of INJAZ-UAE, said: “Financial literacy skills are important for students in the Emirates as both Abu-Dhabi and Dubai have positioned themselves as business hubs in the region. JA Banks in Action connects people directly involved in the banking industry with students that are studying finance today. It gives them insight into the way financial transactions are made and hopefully will prepare them for their future career choices in the field.”

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Al Khaleej 

Gulf News

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