Oman Cables Industry (OCI) has welcomed on board 20 female Omani students for the SHE STEMS social development programme that aims to prepare more Omani women for the nation’s manufacturing and STEM sectors.

 

The start of the programme follows OCI’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the Ministry of Labour (MOL) in early August to develop and implement the SHE STEMS (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiative. 

 

In line with Oman’s Vision 2040 strategic objectives, SHE STEMS will create more opportunities for Omani women to enter careers in the industrial sector, and contribute to building a productive and diversified economy, founded on innovation, integration of roles and equal opportunities.

 

Machine operations

The 20 female Omani students were selected from a list of over three hundred candidates. As of this week, they have begun a six-month-long “Machine Operations” course that will emphasise hands-on skills development and practical on-the-job training in machine operations, with a focus on the manufacturing sector. The training will be supervised by highly proficient and qualified instructors. 

 

The Machine Operations course forms the first out of three SHE STEMS programmes scheduled for deployment, all of which will be officially certified by MOHERI. On completion of the training, each graduate will receive a SHE STEMS certificate recognised by the Ministry. 

 

“We are delighted to be a part of this first-of-its-kind initiative in Oman. The programme will prepare more Omani women for the nation’s critically important manufacturing sector and empower them to take great strides towards achieving their career goals.”

 

Sustainability plan

“Through this initiative we hope to be able to change these 20 women’ lives for the better” said OCI’s Chief Executive Officer, Cinzia Farisè. “The SHE STEMS Project is a long-term project and forms part of our Sustainability Plan, in line with our global social ambition.  Similar initiatives will be developed in some other Countries of the world, but we are very proud to be the first and to start in Oman and for Oman. The local initiative received the endorsement of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MoHERI) and the Ministry of Labour (MoL), that we thank for their continuous support.” 

 

As part of the Prysmian Group, OCI launched SHE STEMS initiative as a joint amalgamation with Prysmian’s sustainability development strategy and goals, and within the framework of the Prysmian Social Ambition 2030 objectives of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, Digital Inclusion, Community Empowerment, and Employee Engagement and Upskilling.-- TradeArabia News Service