In a bid to continue its endeavor of enhancing the employability of Omani college and university graduates in line with the national agenda, Sohar International has collaborated with the Ministry of Labour, committing to onboard 200 Omanis, for a 2-year training and development program in organizations from various sectors. Providing the Sultanate’s youth, a stepping stone into the professional world, the program will entail extensive experience, along with an attractive monthly pay. Committed to support and empower the Youth of Oman, Sohar International places strong belief in building a foundation and journey that creates ample opportunities for the youth, who will take on professional and senior roles in the future.

Sharing the important announcement, Mr. Ahmed Al Musalmi, Chief Executive Officer of Sohar International, said, “Laying a strong foundation for future development, Oman attaches prime importance to national manpower development initiatives. In line with Oman’s Vision 2040 strategy, professional development of competent young Omanis continue to be in focus across all major sectors. The Bank recognises its social commitment to empower youth and is focused on further equipping existing employees and attracting potential aspirants to benefit from ongoing talent development initiatives. The training and development program reflects the Bank’s commitment to promote a qualitative shift in national workforce through relevant training and internship programmes. Sohar International is renowned for providing rewarding career growth opportunities for competent employees and this programme is designed to further energise the market’s human resources development initiatives in line with the Sultanate’s quest for youth empowerment.”

Committed to deliver with the sole purpose of enabling people to grow and prosper, Sohar International believes that the collaborative efforts with Ministry of Labor, to provide on-the-job training to 200 Omanis in various fields and sectors, will not only contribute towards the enrichment of their individual personalities, but also contribute towards developing the socioeconomic scene within the country, thus supporting the various local industries to evolve and thrive in the coming years.

Shedding light on training program in advancing skills and capabilities and encouraging eligible graduates to apply, Ms Mahira Saleh Alraisi, Chief Human Resource Officer at Sohar International, said: “Through the launch of this training and development program, we are inviting ambitious Graduates who can optimize this opportunity to develop their practical skills while creating a world-class experience. Through this program, our aim is to develop Graduates by giving them the required ingredients to enhance their knowledge and get hands on working experience to maximize their job opportunities after the Program and build successful careers.”

The criteria to apply for this one-of-a-kind opportunity entails that the applicants must be Omani graduates holding a bachelors’ degree with a minimum of 2.75 GPA and registered as job seekers with the Ministry of Labour.  To apply, eligible candidates need to visit Sohar International’s official LinkedIn page and look for the Training and Development Opening Post.  As per the details enlisted within the post, candidates are to submit all the necessary documents for the bank to review and shortlist in accordance with the Ministry of Labour.  Shortlisted candidates will then enter into various rounds of tests and screening to finally identify the 200 applicants that would make the cut.

Sohar International has been involved with a number of initiatives contributing to larger national goals – educating and skilling the youth being one of them. For this purpose, Sohar International had also offered in the past a one-year internship program under the title Tomohi, which aims at enhancing skillsets of the Omani youth to better their chances of employability. A first of its kind initiative in the Sultanate to make young Omanis future ready, the batch 2 of the program was successfully on-boarded in 2020, reasserting Tomohi’s role in advancing skills and capabilities to Omani college and university graduates in line with the national agenda of making Oman a knowledge-based society. Moreover, the bank takes pride in its Integrated Performance Management and Capability Development System – Erteqaa, delivered in partnership with Harvard Business Publishing, which was initiated for capacity building and fostering a high-performance culture. In 2020, the bank launched Ertiqaa’+ program for grooming the Middle Management under this program, that will enable them to take on leadership roles in the future.

Sohar International is committed to Omanisation and sees this as a key pillar of its five-year plan. The organisation has promoted Omanis and is led and managed by a local workforce across all levels. It is committed to growing national talent and creating more employment opportunities for Omani youth both within the Bank and in the larger community that it serves. Moving forward, the Bank will set new benchmarks as a thought leader and an institution with a social conscience by promoting growth prospects for young Omanis and contributing to the society at large. Given these erstwhile gestures and initiatives by Sohar International, it is only natural for the bank to continue to demonstrate a strong investment in youth; and focus on becoming an ‘employer of choice’. One that is keen to identify and communicate with promising Omani talent, while conscientiously informing them of the prospects available to them at the bank.