Unilever, one of the world's leading fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, has signed a MoU with the American University in Dubai (AUD) to provide its students a comprehensive educational and hands-on practical program in the corporate world.

The owner of global brands such as Dove, Vaseline and Lipton, Unilever said the AUD partnership will be effective for three years, starting this academic year.

The collaborative agreement will cover recruitment, internships, exchange of knowledge, training programs, joint seminars and conferences and leadership programs as well as other areas of mutual interests.

The program aims at continuously promoting academic fineness and disclosure of industry knowledge amongst students through sharing global best practices and their local implementation, said Abraham Togatorop, the HR director, Unilever Gulf and Saudi Arabia after signing the deal with Peggy M. Awad, the director of External Relations at AUD.

“At Unilever, our objective is to become the employer of choice for students across the region. Accordingly, we are delighted to sign this agreement today as it will help go a long way in strengthening our relationship with AUD; one of the most elite universities in the Gulf and a great strategic partner,” remarked Togatorop.

“By providing students with the right educational and professional programs, we aspire to bridge the gap between the academic and the real world, with the aim of eventually inspiring students to become great business leaders of the future,” he added.

Awad pointed out that the AUD capitalizes on building and sustaining enduring partnerships with the corporate world that will benefit the university community, particularly the students.

"We are proud today to add Unilever as one of our new partners. Together, we successfully identified ways to nurture the students’ experience while providing them with opportunities that will ultimately add a professional dimension to their education," he added.

AUD and Unilever have a long standing relationship and have collaborated on several occasions in the past.

The latest being a talk by Tina Chikhani, the marketing director, Unilever Mena to the AUD’s marketing students during which Chikhani presented the case study of “Axe Body Spray” as a successful example of international marketing best practices.-TradeArabia News Service