Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 08, 2020:   AXA Gulf, one of the largest international insurers in the GCC, announced that it partnered with Emirates International School Meadows (EISM) to develop an exclusive one-day program for over 70 of the school’s students from Year 11. The tailored workshop was aimed at preparing senior students from EISM for the workplace – and provided insights on building their own personal brand as well as an understanding of how the corporate world works. 

The workshop, entitled ‘Stand Out,’ was delivered by AXA’s Head of Talent Development & Resourcing, Tracy Al Saidi, and is in line with the UAE’s recent initiatives geared at bridging the skills gap between classroom and workplace as well as providing insights into what the professional work environment is like.

Tracy Al Saidi, Head of Talent Development & Resourcing, AXA Gulf, said: “Preparing the emerging talent pool of today for tomorrow is a crucial objective to ensure workplace preparedness. As one of the largest global insurers that cares deeply about contributing to global economic development, we are delighted to partner with EISM for this initiative. Investing in our future leaders is very important to us and we strongly believe that programs such as this can instil confidence into students before entering the workplace and help them to build their own personal brand. This partnership with EISM is just the start of many such initiatives and we are committed to launching more similarly focused programs to develop other critical skills.”

Colleen Menichini, Higher Education and Careers Counselor, EISM, said: “Together with feedback from students and parents, we recognized it was imperative that our students have the opportunity to gain meaningful work experience, which will eventually help them make the important decision of selecting higher education pathways. AXA has come into EISM and led students through an interactive workshop that identifies the skills that are required for success in the workplace. We are delighted to see that these skills are closely aligned with the IB Learner Profile that is at the core of the education that students receive at EISM, and firmly believe that this experience will help drive the importance of their IB education and the value that we place on ensuring they are best equipped to make decisions regarding university and beyond.” 

In addition to this initiative, AXA and EISM plan to collaborate on a workplace readiness program which will involve students spending time at AXA’s offices through a structured work placement during their summer holidays. This program is also in association with PDSi who also have recently launched their Possibilities Project book.