DUBAL provides business experience to 40 students

For 40 UAE National students enrolled at secondary and tertiary educational institutes across the country, the summer of 2011 has been a period of continued learning and personal development. The reason being that the youngsters participated in the annual Summer Training Programme hosted by Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (“DUBAL”) — one of the world’s largest single-site aluminium smelters and the UAE’s industrial flagship — as part of the company’s ongoing nationalization initiatives.

This year’s programme ran for five weeks (25 working days), from Sunday 26 June to Thursday 28 July, giving the students the chance to learn about the aluminium industry while benefitting from personal exposure to a real-life working environment, through which they acquired technical and practical skills and also matured as individuals. By providing these opportunities, the programme has once again contributed to the fulfilling the vision of H H Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Chairman of DUBAL) to raise the standards of professionalism among young UAE Nationals as a means to accelerate the prosperity of the nation as a whole.

As in prior years, the group enrolled for the 2011 Summer Training Programme comprised both male and female students, 30 from high schools and 10 from various colleges and universities. The latter included university students on DUBAL’s Scholarship Programme who are contractually bound to work at DUBAL for the summer vacation periods throughout the duration of their funded studies (and for an equivalent number of years thereafter), thereby enhancing their understanding of their future roles within the organization.

After a comprehensive orientation session, the students were deployed in various departments across DUBAL — including Training & Development, Supply, Information Technology, Human Resources & Organizational Effectiveness, Finance and Maintenance Plantwide Cranes — according to their educational background and interests. Over the course of the programme period, they also received instruction on technical operations, and attended management skills development courses on a weekly basis, the latter providing valuable life skills in the areas of communications, teamwork, time management and leadership.

Judging by the presentations and reports prepared by the students, all enjoyed the work experience within their designated area. The 2011 Summer Training Programme culminated in a ceremony on 28 July 2011, at which participation certificates and gifts were presented to each student.