Bahrain-based Waqfe, a leading fintech solutions provider, recently signed a collaboration agreement with the Bahrain Association of Banks, to enable 40 talented Bahrainis to acquire skills in the financial services industry through a structured internship programme.

Being the latest initiative in the series of innovations launched by Waqfe, the programme offers unique career acceleration opportunities, such as internships, scholarships, vocational training, and job placements.

The programme is supported by a growing network of corporates from Bahrain and the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and the agreement with BAB lends further credence to the rising popularity of the internship programme, said a statement from the company.

Based on the agreement, Waqfe will be placing 40 Bahraini interns with Bahrain Association of Banks. Through these internships, young Bahrainis will benefit from real-life work experiences that will give them the chance to develop their professional skills and competencies, which in turn will assist them in the development of their career, it said.

Fatima Al Alawi, chief business officer of Waqfe and Dr Waheed Al Qassim, chief executive officer of Bahrain Association of Banks, signed the agreement in the presence of Osama Al Khajah, board advisor of Waqfe, it added.

Dr Waheed Al Qassim said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Waqfe for this internship program which gives our youths a head start in their career.”

“I am confident the interns will be able to reap great benefits it provides, as it will equip them for the challenges they will have to face in a high-performance work environment,” Al Qassim said.

Fatima Al Alawi added: “The programme brings together the academia and the profession using digital technologies.”

“The agreement with BAB is absolutely essential in order to prepare our youths for their careers in a field that is at the heart of Bahrain’s historical strengths and its future, as defined by the 2030 roadmap,” she added.

Over 400 career opportunities for young and talented Bahraini’s have already been created through the programme.

Gaining immense support from a number of corporates and institutions across industries throughout the region.

Waqfe’s Internship Program will be using the support to create over 5,000 new opportunities for young Bahrainis to advance their careers by 2020.

Osama Al Khajah said: “The programme is rewriting the social contract between our young leaders and other stakeholders such as corporates, financial institutions and households.”

“The ‘millennials’ and ‘Gen Z’ are the future. It is a unique opportunity for corporates and financial institutions to get a head start by embedding themselves early into this emerging ecosystem,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service