As many as 75 recruits have been accepted into the Afaq master’s programme by the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD).

They are the second group to be accepted at NBAD’s prestigious programme, which has been upgraded to a Master of Science in Finance.

The inaugural programme is run in three batches: 25 recruits started the programme earlier this year, another 25 over the summer and the last batch for this year will begin in September, a statement said.

The recruits complete half of the master’s requirement in the first year by studying fulltime at the state-of-the-art NBAD Academy. During this period they receive full employment salary.

After the first year, the recruits are assigned to their permanent position. While they work fulltime, they continue studying part-time toward the completion of the course.

Afaq, which means horizons in Arabic, is NBAD's flagship National Talent Development Programme that fast tracks gifted Emirati University graduates into successful careers in the financial services industry.

The programme, started in 2009 and open to UAE nationals who hold a bachelor’s degree, mixes theoretical training in the classroom with practical experience at NBAD offices.

In May, 36 Afaq recruits graduated from the inaugural Afaq programme with a post graduate certificate. All of them serve in different departments of NBAD that include international banking, marketing, corporate banking and technology.

The programme is the result of a collaboration between NBAD and Zayed University. –TradeArabia News Service