Sharjah investing in youth leadership for future development

STARBUCKS launched the second series of its "Opportunity Café" and “Pathway to a Job" programs in partnership with Education for Employment (EFE). The two programs empower male and female Saudi students and job seekers, helping them make valuable contributions to their communities and the Saudi economy.

Opportunity Café is designed to teach young Saudis the soft skills that are essential for employability today. In addition to offering professional skill-building workshops on employability, the program addresses the key challenges youth face regarding employment - from making professional CVs to giving interviews, along with other skills and tools that help the youth kick-start their careers with confidence. The training is given by highly qualified labour market professionals in an appropriate learning environment that helps prepare the young to become potential leaders in the business sector. Opportunity Café will be launched at Starbucks cafes in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam on 25 September. Interested candidates can apply through Starbucks KSA website www.starbucksforyouthksa.com.

“Pathway to a Job” is aimed at helping Saudi youth fast track their careers into the service sector. Centred on youth awareness and development, the program offers focused training and workshops to help university students hone their skills for their first job in the real world. The program will be launched in a number of universities across the kingdom on 9 October 2018.

"We are pleased with the launch of the Opportunity Café and Pathway to a Job programs in partnership with EFE for the second time running," said Rana Shaheen, Regional Communications and CSR Manager, Starbucks Middle East. "The first series was a great success, with 161 young Saudis attending 19 workshops around the kingdom."

For his part, Amr Abdallah, Director of Gulf Programs at EFE-Global, commented: "EFE and Starbucks Saudi Arabia deliver training programs that serve as models in the Saudi market. We are proud of the success of the first series of Opportunity Café and Pathway to a Job programs as we seek to empower Saudi youth so they can serve the community and advance the economy in line with Saudi Vision 2030."

The strategic partnership with EFE demonstrates Starbuck's commitment to employ Saudi youths in all its stores in the kingdom as key to the brand's growth strategy. It also shows the joint efforts by the two organizations to raise the level of investment in Saudi employability through education and training opportunities. Starbucks Saudi Arabia always works to provide its partners with the tools and expertise that help them develop their skills and determine their career paths to convey the company's inspiring message to customers and the society at large.