MUSCAT: Alizz Islamic Bank has enrolled a number of its staff in the National Leadership Development Programme (Etimad) which empowers Omanis in middle and upper management positions in the private sector with leadership skills.
The Etimad programme which is considered a real turning point for private sector leaders in several vital fields seeks to extend bridges and build trust between Omani leaders and private sector companies.
The well-established programme cooperates with international consultancies and well-known local partners to offer high-quality outputs that reflect a sense of national responsibility, and provide growth opportunities to all parties, whether citizens who receive training, companies that support their human resources with competent Omani leaders or the community that benefits from better job opportunities and private sector capabilities.
Etimad aims to train and empower 10,000 Omanis in middle and senior management positions in the private sector over the next few years. However, the programme initially targeted 500 applicants from a number of private sector companies to join a training programme that would last from three to six months.
Registration in this stage was exclusively open for companies classified as “Excellent”, “First” and “International” with a workforce exceeding 500 employees to ensure future career paths for graduates of the programme and to increase the percentage of Omanis in middle and senior management positions in the private sector.
Commenting on the enrolment of some of the bank’s staff in the Etimad Programme, Mohamed al Balushi Head of Human Resources at Alizz Islamic Bank, said: “We are committed to empowering our young Omani employees to take the lead in the future, whether in Alizz Islamic Bank or other institutions. We urge the employees that were honoured with being selected to do their best to acquire the necessary skills and fulfil the expected objectives.
In addition, we will offer them the necessary support and will equip them with the appropriate tools, as a true leader doesn’t tell the employee what to do, but rather shows him/her how to do it. In this context, I would like to thank those in charge of the programme as it is considered one of the important pillars in a promising future for the Sultanate. Together with the Government, we will spare no effort to support Oman’s pioneering role in all respects.”
The empowerment of Omani cadres in the private sector, particularly in leadership and supervisory roles, is considered one of the national priorities that the government seeks to fulfil in partnership with the private sector.
Therefore, the National Leadership Development Programme upskills and empowers Potential Omanis for middle and senior leadership positions in the Private Sector and is one of the initiatives emerging from the recommendations of the labour market and employment lab of the National Economic Diversification Programme (Tanfeedh) with the aim of preparing qualified national leaders that can take the lead in key areas of the private sector and promote Omanis to senior positions by providing specialised training and empowerment for Omani employees.
Etimad constitutes a real partnership between the public and private sectors, as the initiative’s team examined the needs of the Omanis and the private sector companies in order to align them in the programme, in collaboration with representatives from the private sectors and representatives of policy-makers and decision-makers in the public sector.
It is worth noting that the programme will be funded and managed by the Government during its first years.
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