BUSINESS REPORTER
MUSCAT, MAY 31
The Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) will launch a two-week summer internship programme on June 7, giving 18 undergraduate students exposure to companies operating inside one of Oman’s fastest-growing industrial and logistics hubs.
The programme is designed to help students see Duqm not only as a national development project but as a working economy, with companies, teams, operational demands and career paths already in place.
Students will be placed with OQ8, ASYAD Drydock, Oman Tank Terminal Company, SIMAK, Port of Duqm, ASYAD Container Terminal, Crowne Plaza Duqm and Renaissance Services. Rather than observing operations from the sidelines, they will work on assignments connected to day-to-day activity across the zone.
Participants from SQU’s colleges of Engineering, Agricultural & Marine Sciences, Science, Arts & Social Sciences and Economics & Political Science will work alongside company teams under the supervision of both industry mentors and university faculty. The programme also includes evening talks from professionals across the SEZAD tenant community and a weekend challenge focused on attracting young professionals to Duqm.
Qais al Yousef, Chairman, Public Authority for Special Economic Zones & Free Zones (OPAZ) said: “Duqm’s development depends not just on infrastructure and investment but on young Omanis seeing a future for themselves in the industries taking shape here. This year’s summer internship program gives students direct exposure to those industries and gives companies an earlier connection with future talent. Stronger links between universities and employers are essential to Oman’s long-term competitiveness.”
Professor Salim al Harthy, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Community Service, SQU, commented: “Students gain something very different when academic learning is tested inside a real workplace. They will see expectations and decision-making at close range while contributing to assignments that carry value for host companies. That experience gives greater meaning to what they learn in lectures and helps prepare them for professional life.”
Eng Ahmed Akaak, CEO, SEZAD, said: “The measure of success won’t only be how much students have seen by the end of two weeks. It will be how much closer Duqm feels to becoming part of their professional future.”
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