Reiterating its engagement with the local community, Silatech, the regional social organization that works on connecting Arab youth to jobs and expanding local economic opportunities, and in partnership with Occidental Petroleum of Qatar (OXY) and Texas A&M University at Qatar, held Nasmou training from May 9 to 12, 2016 at Texas A&M University at Qatar.

Developed in partnership between Silatech, Oxy Qatar and Texas A&M at Qatar, Nasmou is a four-day program that aims to equip Qatari students with the necessary skills and mind set to ease their transition into the workplace and ultimately become the nation’s future leaders. It provides leadership insights and tackles many important issues including demonstrative and cultural intelligence, team work, and ways to face challenges, as well as overcoming cultural boundaries and success in a multicultural environment.

The unique program exposed the students to four different themed workshops in the four days.

The theme “Setting the Scene”, was held on the first day with the objectives to clarify to the students the ways to establish the ground rules, which will create a safe learning environment for the course, build working relationships with fellow participants, and to understand the complexities of operating in a workplace.

Students learnt how to work effectively in a team where they explored diversity and differences of opinion and experience and the effectiveness of team work, including ways to question, listen and communicate, thus achieving a high performing team. The participants attended also a master class on qualities of a global leader. Themes explored were Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Time Management, and Conflict Management.

In the second day of the program, students got introduced to Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Intelligence and the relation between the two concepts. The objective was to understand the importance of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) in a globalised world and show how is CQ used to manage personal stress and negotiate conflict in the workplace and the importance of questioning and listening.

“Leading Change” was the theme of day three, where students got a first-hand insight into operating in a professional environment and work on a real-life workplace challenge. During the day, students also discussed the Creative Collaboration among the team members and how to develop solutions to the challenges.

On the last day of the program, students learnt how to implement their skills in their careers and discussed the workshop’s main elements with  a panel of stakeholders from Occidental, Silatech and Texas A&M at Qatar.

Upon completion of the program, selected students were offered an internship opportunity at Oxy Qatar to further develop their skills and apply what they have learned in real-life experiences.

Silatech Qatar Country Manager Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al-Thani said: “We are continuing to partner with various universities in Qatar to implement the Nasmou program and equipping more students with the “soft skills” needed to ease their transition from school to work. Nasmou program exemplifies the type of coordination between the private sector, academia and non-profit organizations that is necessary to produce a high-quality graduates who can meet the demands of Qatar’s economy. This is why are proud of our partnership with Oxy Qatar and Texas A&M at Qatar that contributes to achieving Silatech’s vision in having an Arab world in which young people are able to work and are engaged in the economic development of their societies.

Mr. Stephen Kelly, President and General Manager, Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Limited (Oxy Qatar), said: “Oxy Qatar is pleased to partner again with Silatech, and with Texas A&M at Qatar for the first time, to support the Nasmou program. After its success at Qatar University, Nasmou is being extended to cover additional universities. Programs such as Nasmou provide students the opportunity to explore real-life experience in the workplace and help them develop ways to decrease stress and increase productivity, motivate and inspire them to take charge of their career direction, and equip them with the tools to cope with and adapt to changes in their working environment.

Dr. Ann L. Kenimer, Interim Dean of Texas A&M University at Qatar: “Aggies are lifelong learners, so opportunities such as this are perfect settings for the further development of their leadership skills. Navigating culturally diverse environments, understanding emotional intelligence and building social competencies are paramount in the modern workplace, so this workshop is certainly a valuable experience. Thank you to our partners OXY and Silatech for their support in the continuing development of both our current and former students.”