Jadarah, the intensive five-month talent accelerator programme founded by Seera Group, has announced the 24 new candidates who will take part in the second edition of the programme commencing September.

Jadarah candidates are offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kick-start their careers under the leadership of brilliant minds from the regional and global digital industry, said a statement from the organisation.

The 2019 edition received over 2,500 applications from Arab nationalities including Saudis, Emiratis, Egyptians, Jordanians, Syrians, Palestinians, Sudanese, Yemenis, Omanis, Lebanese, Tunisians, Moroccans, Kuwaitis, Iraqis, Bahrainis and Comorians. 

The programme also attracted remarkable female candidates, who accounted for 48 per cent of the applications, a significant increase versus 2018.

Jadarah 2019 candidates come from renowned global universities, such as Hult International Business School, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, as well as prestigious universities within the region such as the American Universities of Sharjah, Dubai and Cairo, Abu Dhabi University, King Saud University and the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

A total of 55 per cent of the selected candidates are from Saudi Arabia, while the other Arab nationalities including Egyptians, Jordanians, Syrians, Palestinians, Sudanese, Moroccans and Iraqis make up the remainder. This makes Jadarah a truly regional programme fostering cultural connections and opportunities.

The announcement follows the success of the inaugural year of the programme which saw 90 per cent of the candidates securing jobs in leading organisations including McKinsey & Company, noon, Foodex Saudi, Riyadh Airports Company and Seera Group. 40 per cent of 2018 graduates were females as Jadarah continues to empower young women to step into the technology sector.

Curated 100 per cent locally in the region, Jadarah offers a unique combination of training, mentorship and on-the-job experience to diversify the capabilities and accelerate the growth of the Arab youth, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. 

The programme includes strategic partnerships with digital industry giants including Google, Twitter, Microsoft, AWS and Udacity to give the candidates insight into some of the world’s most recognised and successful businesses. 

Abdulaziz Aldawood, head of Jadarah, said: “Some of the main challenges faced by the Arab youth today is the lack of awareness on how to kick-off their career path, limited on-job training and low exposure to networking opportunities.

“With us, the shortlisted candidates get an opportunity to create their own experiences, explore their potential, and change the course of their future. As the region focuses on digital transformation, global and regional players need high calibre professionals to join their businesses. Through our organisation, we are helping to strengthen the regional talent pool, assisting in the development of valued skills, and providing fast-track access to opportunities in the digital space,” he added.

Sharing her experience, a former candidate of Jadarah and now a senior branding officer at Seera Group, Dina Ayoub, said: “When I graduated from my university, I found myself at a cross-road of choosing between an internship and a full-time job. It is rare to find a credible graduate programme in the region that offers a healthy mix of learning and on-the-job training.”

“At university, students can reach out to teachers for support and in the working industry, professionals can reach out to fellow colleagues and senior management for guidance,” she said.

“However, right after you graduate there is a grey area that leaves fresh graduates like me struggling due to the lack of mentorship. Jadarah was the perfect platform to nurture my skill set before venturing into the real world,” she added.

Jadarah enables candidates to demonstrate their strengths and potential. Top candidates who cleared the online test were invited for a one-day assessment centre in Dubai or Riyadh which included presentations, concentrated group exercises and interviews with experts from the company, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service