Maysoon Al-Attar: Job shadowing is a brilliant way of exposing youth to the “real” working world, where they can gain better, and practical, understanding of how businesses operate.
As part of its various initiatives to consolidate the principles of sustainability in society, and as part of its strategic partnership with INJAZ Kuwait, Gulf Bank welcomed a group of students from the Australian University in Kuwait (AU) at its head office, to take part in the Job Shadowing training program.
The students were introduced to Gulf Bank's Corporate Communications team, where they received a thorough introduction about the team members and their various job tasks. This was followed by an interactive workshop, where the students were divided into two teams – with a mission to plan and organize a specific event, by distributing responsibilities amongst themselves. The teams determined how to take advantage of the available resources, in order to support the event and ensure its success.
The Corporate Communications team carefully listened to the students and answered their various questions regarding the different job tasks at the bank. This helped to provide the students with a greater understanding about the differences between university and work life, and how to smoothly transition from one stage to the next.
On this occasion, Gulf Bank’s Assistant Manager of Corporate Communications, Ms. Maysoon Al-Attar, explained: "We were very pleased with the creativity and high academic level of the students participating in the program. Their eagerness to be well-prepared for the labor market, was impressive.”
Al-Attar pointed that the Job Shadowing program is a cooperation with INJAZ Kuwait, which aims to support the next generation of young leaders and provide them with the skills required by the labor market, amidst the rapid developments in various economic sectors.
Al-Attar emphasized that Gulf Bank is keen to fulfill its social responsibility towards youth, especially those at high school or university levels, including recent graduates. She further indicated that the bank provides youth with basic concepts related to business – enabling them to explore their professional interests, and the available opportunities; in addition to the ways in which they can develop their job skills.
The Job Shadowing program is one of Gulf Bank’s sustainability initiatives, and as Al-Attar expressed, “is a brilliant way of exposing youth to the real working environment where they are able take part in several tasks alongside full-time employees so that they gain better practical understanding of how businesses operate, in order for them to make better career decisions”.
The program prepares students to be entrepreneurial thinkers in their approach to work – by introducing them to the skills required in the job market, and through demonstrating the importance of professionalism when developing their career path. Hence, the students’ visits are a vital part of the Job Shadowing program.
Additionally, the visits aim to showcase the different career clusters and potential job positions, and to understand the importance of career research and preparation. Students are also given the opportunity to learn about the importance of networking and relationship building with businesspeople, to understand the relevance between their education and future careers, and to realize the benefits of soft skills and ethics in the workplace.
Gulf Bank's vision is to be the leading Kuwaiti Bank of the Future. The Bank is constantly engaging and empowering its employees as part of an inclusive and diversified workplace in recognition of every employee’s role in delivering customer excellence and serving the community at large. With its extensive network of branches and innovative digital services, Gulf Bank is able to give its customers the choice of how and where to conduct their banking transactions, all while ensuring a simple and seamless banking experience.
Gulf Bank is committed to maintaining robust developments in sustainability at environmental, social and governance levels through diverse sustainability initiatives, strategically selected to benefit the Bank both internally and externally. Gulf Bank supports Kuwait Vision 2035 “New Kuwait” and works with various parties to achieve it.
