Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain announced its collaboration with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) to launch ‘Waed’, a customised Graduate Trainee Program which aims to equip Bahraini graduates with the necessary skills required to enter and succeed in the job market, and to develop their personal and technical competencies to enhance their employment opportunities.

The program targets Bahraini graduates from accredited local and international universities who meet the admission requirements to partake in the program. Applicants will undergo a series of international assessments deployed by the BIBF, in addition to selection interviews, upon which 20 candidates will be qualified for joining the program.

During the first month of the program, the trainees will receive intensive training courses that have been developed by Kuwait Finance House – Bahrain in partnership with the BIBF, and which will be delivered by recognized trainers from the Institute. In addition, the Bank will host a series of educational lectures held by experienced banking professionals from Kuwait Finance House - Bahrain. Participants will subsequently spend a period of two months in one of the Bank’s specialized functions with the aim of gaining hands on knowledge and practical experience. At the end of the program, five trainees will be selected to undergo a two months’ job rotation program to get additional on the job training across the various functions of the bank, and will then have to develop and apply an innovative initiative for digitalization or enhancing work processes and developing new products.

Commenting on the collaboration, Mr. Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat, Managing Director and CEO at KFH–Bahrain said: “We are pleased to introduce our latest training program ‘Waed’, which aims to develop the skills of youth cadres and to elevate the human capital in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Through this program, we further seek to enhance KFH-Bahrain’s contribution towards the implementation of the Kingdom’s development initiatives, including the creation of job opportunities for Bahraini graduates, and making citizens the first choice when hiring.”

On his part, the BIBF’s Director, Dr. Ahmed AlShaikh also said, “We are very pleased to work alongside KFH-Bahrain, to facilitate this opportunity for fresh graduates to enhance their skills-set and increase their chances of employability. Through such partnerships the BIBF is able to provide the necessary training that will help Bahraini youth to take the first step in their professional career journeys.”

Ms. Sara Zainalabedin, Head of Human Resources at KFH-Bahrain commented “We aim through Waed program to invest in the development of local talent and to enhance the employability of Bahraini graduates and the career opportunities available to them. The program is tailored to provide the graduates with a unique opportunity to gain hands on experience and the competencies needed to keep pace with the changing needs of the labor market and the skills required for the future of work. This initiative falls under the scope of our fruitful partnership with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance, and comes as part of our corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts to enable Bahraini youth and support their growth. We would like to invite graduates to benefit from this experience and to learn from mentors who will accompany them through every phase of the program to ensure attaining maximum benefit.”

Ms. Sana Haji, Acting Head of Leadership and Management Centre at the BIBF commented “We highly value our partnership with KFH-Bahrain on developing and delivering this tailored program, through which we aim to achieve a common goal of developing national talent. This program was specifically designed in line with the objectives of KFH-Bahrain for preparing Bahraini graduates with key skills needed to succeed in the workplace whilst increasing quality job opportunities available to the graduates.”

Graduates who have a GPA of 3.0 can register by emailing [email protected] from now until July 31st, 2022.