Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, UNHCR to bring skills development to UNHCR’s persons of concern

DUBAI, 24th August, 2020 (WAM) — The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, AGFE, announced today a partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, to provide access to the Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program, YTP, to UNHCR’s Persons of Concern in the UAE to help them gain skills that will guide them on their paths to employment and improved livelihoods.

YTP is a bespoke bilingual and digital platform designed to support Emirati and Arab youth with increased career awareness, soft skills development through online courses, and advising to help them make well-informed education and career-related decisions. The platform is currently benefitting more than 20,000 users across the Arab region, with the majority being from the UAE.

Through the programme, AGFE is offering a series of online webinars that will both assist and train the UNHCR team to promote YTP, as well as offer training to young persons of concern who will promote the platform among members of their communities and support them. These training sessions will focus on the design, objectives, and benefits to effectively promote the digital platform.

AGFE will also be conducting skill-building workshops, focusing on soft skills such as emotional intelligence, presentation skills and public speaking – all critical for success in various education and workplace settings. Besides, the workshops also support the UNHCR persons of concern in having a better understanding of the careers, and accessing the resources and advising services that will support them with their education and career decisions and paths.

In this regard, Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of AGFE, said, “This partnership is another step to strengthen our longstanding relationship with the UNHCR both inside and outside the UAE. It confirms our common goals to serve, support and empower vulnerable youth and provide them with the necessary skills for their development to attain elevated livelihoods.” “We are proud of our strategic partnership with the Al Ghurair Foundation for Education and this collaboration, that comes to reaffirms their commitment towards helping the young people in need, especially in this critical time with the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact. We hope this programme will benefit the Arab youth, in particular, those coming from war-torn countries and of concern to the UNHCR, towards enhancing their education and career paths,” said Nadia Jbour, Head of the UNHCR office in the UAE.