To capitalize on these changes, and meet the demand within the labour market, key actors are taking a stance in ensuring that youth have the skills and capabilities to succeed within an ever-evolving global economy.

Injaz UAE has been active since 2006, linking volunteers to classrooms, harnessing the potential of business leaders, to inspire a culture of entrepreneurialism, business acumen and innovation among UAE youth. Representing one of the most prominent and active organizations in the Arab world, Injaz Al Arab and a member of Junior Achievement (JA) worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit business education program. It offers work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy programmes, which have benefitted over 6000 students in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, 200,000 across the region, and 9 million students worldwide. Their success, influence, and capacity to target and train youth derives from the organization’s ability to nurture the participation of local and multinational companies, corporate volunteers, educators, and government schools, providing hands-on, experiential training programs to youth, which facilitates school-to-work transition, and fosters entrepreneurial activity.

The composition of Injaz UAE’s board of directors and partners reflect the diversity, multi-disciplinary approach and commitment to providing the skills which will advance the integration of youth within the workplace. Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed bin Saqer Al Nahyan, is Chairman of Injaz Al Arab, and Injaz UAE, as well as Chairman of the Bin Zayed Group. A leading conglomerate with interests in national and international markets, the company’s vision believes in ‘leadership by example’, a concept Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan has tirelessly sought to instate his support of Injaz UAE’s youth programmes by encouraging business leaders and role models such as himself to actively take part in training the future workforce.  ExxonMobil, HSBC, Citi, Shell, Mars GCC, Boeing, and the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development all belong to Injaz UAE’s board. These business leaders demonstrate the engagement they share towards providing Emirati youth with the employment skills and opportunities to plan their careers, and promote a spirit of entrepreneurship, accentuating the need for collaboration among all sectors to provide opportunities which from the backbone of economic development.          

To provide youth with the skills necessary within the workplace, Injaz UAE offers a multitude of JAW programs, the bulk of which focus on entrepreneurial skills to encourage youth to create their own opportunities and innovate.  The ‘You can b!’ Innovation Day Camps, in partnership with Barclay’s Bank and Injaz UAE did just that.  Launched as a JA training initiative, it reached over 500 students in one year and a 1000 more will be taking part the coming year alone.  Students work actively on addressing, then solving a specific business challenge, guided by corporate volunteers. They not only have to work under a tight deadline, but replicate a real business start-up thinking process with access to certain information and resources.

By utilizing the skills and competencies of corporate volunteers currently working in the market, Injaz UAE is at the forefront of bridging the gap between formal education and industry practice. Volunteers representing, Barclay’s, Abraaj Capital, GE, Mckinsey, and Bain to name a few, took part to give their student teams a head start by providing practical market skills, making participants more flexible to new demands, and diversifying key competencies. 

Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed, Chairman of Injaz UAE describes the Camp along with the Company Program experience “to have a profound impact on student’s ability to understand how entrepreneurial ideas are put into action. Innovation and creativity, instilled at an early age, are the building blocks to multilateral thinking and new professional possibilities. It drives home the significance of teamwork, innovation and practicality- three critical skills that can make a future entrepreneur successful.”

Industry specific training permits the transfer of skills, knowledge, team capabilities and attitudes which enable students to become productive in their career, and most importantly, changes their entrepreneurial and working behaviour, instilling new values and attitudes. 

Sulaf Al-Zu’bi, CEO of Injaz UAE and master trainer of the ‘You can b!’ Innovation Day Camps has plans to triple its offering of the Camp free of charge to as many schools she can reach. To meet the increasing demand from schools, Injaz UAE will have to also increase its volunteer base – a not so easy, yet rewarding task for Ms. Al-Zu’bi and her team.  She shares: “There’s something inspiring in bringing the world of work to students through corporate volunteers that are out there working hard in real-time, willing to lend their know-how, time, and support.  The excitement and learning that participants experience during many of our programs such as this, always makes us feel we had done something that will resonate with our youth and prepare them for the future.” 

 Watch a video of the ‘You Can b!’ Innovation Day Camp as part of the British Council’s UAE “Enterprise Challenge” in Partnership with Barclays Bank PLC and INJAZ UAE

Conducting business, in any setting and environment, is increasingly governed by the ability to communicate and network successfully among a range of actors. Students find themselves in a position that they have to communicate effectively amongst members of their own team to succeed in finding a solution and best utilize each team member’s individual skills. When presenting solutions to seasoned professionals, the students also have to adopt face-to-face persuasion and negotiation, which allows them to better understand the communication processes found within an organization, but also between an entrepreneur, investor and customer. They have to inspire, promote confidence and develop leadership capabilities. This pushes students to adopt a professional manner in dealing in a business environment, and enhances their ability to formulate and achieve their goals.

It is however, not only the students who learn and adapt. The ‘You can b!’ Innovation Day Camp and other Injaz UAE programs represent an invaluable opportunity for corporate volunteers to improve their communication as they engage with students through corporate entrepreneurship. Organizations like Barclay’s are incremental in driving the supply and demand for skills, and partaking in such programs drives improvements within their own workplace, whilst fostering economic development by helping young people compete effectively in the global economy. Barclay’s supports the ‘You can b!’ programme across 15 emerging markets globally and have reached over 8000 students to date. 

Companies have an opportunity to shape the skill-set of the future workforce, and engage in developing trans-national standards for specific employment skills, resulting in international best practices and information approaches which can be transmitted to government and social organization partnerships for skills training in the UAE.  Partnership with organizations such as Injaz UAE present a practical model in bridging the gap between the education and corporate sector, while supporting educational insitutions to help them achieve the reforms and curriculum developments, fostering a skill-set in Emirati youth that is complimentary to the current needs and development within the local and international economy.

By successfully running the programme along with its partners, Injaz UAE’s CEO, Ms. Al-Zu’bi has personally shared the model of implementation for the ‘You can b!’ initiative, with other sister Injaz offices regionally and has elaborated sets of best practices to expand the program. The experiences and knowledge gained by the student participants in the ‘You can b!’ ‘programme are frontiereless, as knowledge is without borders, and is the global commodity which shapes enterprises, organizations and markets. The whole region will benefit from this initiative, and the values and attitudes adopted by the participants will strongly contribute to not only the successful transition from education to work, but to a learning behaviour which is ongoing within any environment. Through its work, Injaz UAE will become a key component to meeting to socio-economic development agenda, and contribute to the sustainability and competitiveness of the regional innovation-driven economy.