Etisalat marked a historic Emiratisation milestone with the record intake of more than 100 graduates to the AI Graduate Programme in 2021. This record achievement comes on the heels of Sunday’s onboarding of over 60 graduates to the second cohort – the largest by far in the company’s history – to the programme.
In line with the ambitious vision of the UAE leadership, Etisalat continues to put an emphasis on gender diversity in the workplace and has strengthened its commitment to empower women. It is worth noting that more than 75 percent of the 100 onboarded Emirati graduates are female talent with STEM education. By investing in the UAE’s future leaders, Etisalat enables graduates to build capabilities in emerging technologies and leadership skills to help them lead the country’s digital future. The graduates onboarded to the second cohort of the year will follow the AI Power Track, which will focus on developing AI skills and nurturing power skills.
These graduates will begin an exciting and challenging nine-month journey in three phases: understanding data literacy and analysis, deep-diving into power skills such as communication and decision-making, and learning AI for Business Leaders and Leadership Development. During the orientation day, Dena Al Mansoori, Group Chief Human Resources Officer of Etisalat, welcomed the second cohort to the Etisalat AI Graduate Programme.
Addressing the graduates, Al Mansoori said: “We are beyond excited to welcome 100 talented graduates to the Etisalat AI Graduate Programme this year. Regardless of career choice, the age of artificial intelligence and automation is here so it is critical we nurture the future leaders and digital archiects of tomorrow with the right skills from day one to ensure you are all ready for a rapidly changing, technology-driven world.”
Khalifa Al Shamsi, Chief Corporate Strategy and Governance Officer, Etisalat Group, meanwhile said: “I am in awe of your energy and determination. Six months ago, hiring 100 graduates would seem an impossible feat within Etisalat but it is indeed possible. After all, we are nation that is committed to achieving the impossible. Thank you for making this happen.”
Al Shamsi joined the organisation as a young graduate nearly 30 years ago and grew his career through multiple roles and transitions in digital, marketing, and strategy and corporate governance.
The Etisalat AI Graduate Programme is supported by on-the-job learning, business-critical projects and real-life cases to provide the next generation of leaders with authentic learning experiences that will set their career pathways up for success.
The programme is designed to combine power skills and deep technical certification in partnership with leading educational partners such as Udacity, Alliance, Harvard Business Review, MIT, LinkedIn, and Udemy. Each graduate will receive a personal development plan along with mentorship, coaching, and regular feedback
The candidates joining this cohort were selected through an intense ‘Thinkathon’ where they were challenged to produce and present solutions to business cases unlike the candidates who joined in October who went through a ‘Hackathon’. With the onboarding of exceptional young talent and capabilities, Etisalat is further geared to deliver the vision ‘To drive the digital future to empower societies’.
