KUWAIT: The “Tamakan” training program for Kuwaiti fresh graduates organized by Creative Confidence has kicked off its sixth edition, with the strategic sponsorship of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK). The program underscores the bank’s commitment to supporting all initiatives aiming to develop and empower the Kuwaiti youth and qualify them to take on leadership positions in the future.

Tamakan is an innovative training experience for Kuwaiti fresh graduates to achieve professional self-development in pursuit of emerging as active and efficient workforce and finding promising job opportunities in the private sector. It aims to develop the personal skills needed to become compelling candidates, in addition to motivating Kuwaiti youth to explore their potentials and energies. It also unleashes the creativity of young talent through workshops about creativity and innovation, design thinking, business model design, career exploration and innovative de-risking solutions.

The program runs for 10 weeks until February 18, 2025, during which NBK hosts the trainees at different departments and requires full-time commitment being a full-time job experience. It gives participants an exceptional opportunity to benefit from the expertise of NBK’s executive management, through the open discussions held for participants with the bank’s leaders who have extensive experience spanning long years in the banking industry. This allows them to benefit from these experiences for a successful and sustainable career.

During the kickoff ceremony of the program’s sixth edition, which was held at NBK’s headquarters in the presence of a group of executive leaders in the bank, Emad Al-Ablani, GM - Group Human Resources at National Bank of Kuwait, said, “Our continued sponsorship and support of the “Tamakan” program reflects our belief that the Kuwaiti youth are the cornerstone for achieving national progress in all sectors. Therefore, it is imperative to qualify and upskill them as they start their career journey.”

“The program is a golden opportunity for Kuwaiti fresh graduates to acquire many skills and put theories and rules into action, in addition to developing personal and professional skills. Therefore, I urge the trainees to make the most of this opportunity, so that they can reap the rewards of this experience by the end of the program and attain their desired career success,” he noted.

On her part, Rana Al-Rasheed, Chief of Strategy and People Development at Creative Confidence praised NBK’s continuing sponsorship and support of the “Tamakan” program since its early launch. She mentioned that the program has achieved remarkable success, as the number of graduates of the previous five editions exceeded 170 participants, who were able to efficiently navigate their way into the labor market, noting that some of them joined NBK to be part of the success story of this reputable banking institution.

“The selection of candidates for the sixth edition was very difficult, as we received 960+ applications from Kuwaiti fresh graduates, which shows how successful the program is. In addition, the curriculum of “Tamakan” undergoes enhancements every year to employ innovative techniques in developing participants’ skills, which positively reflects on their upcoming career,” she added.

NBK’s continuing sponsorship of this first of its kind program, which received “The Social Work Pioneer Project Award” in the private commercial sector from the GCC Council of Ministers of Social Affairs and Labor in 2022, reflects its firm belief in the importance of nurturing the Kuwaiti youth by attracting and developing talents and providing all means of support to help them navigate their way confidently into the labor market. It is worth mentioning that NBK is a key sponsor of different social initiatives that align with the goals of Kuwait National Development Plan and of Kuwait Vision 2035, in terms of driving growth and providing job opportunities for the Kuwaiti youth in the private sector, considering them Kuwait’s most valuable resource, and the keystone for national development.