Tasneef Academy, the training and educational arm of Emirates Classification Society, will be hosting the ‘Abu Dhabi Maritime Youth Summit’, aimed at empowering UAE youth in the maritime sector.

The event will be held on January 21, on the sidelines of the main ‘Abu Dhabi International Summit for Maritime Leaders’ in Abu Dhabi.

A UAE-based training provider involved in the design and provision of training courses to support the growth and development of the maritime sector, Tasneef Academy said the summit will host selected students from UAE universities, higher colleges of technology and young entrepreneurs.

It will encourage them to start up their own maritime enterprises, by highlighting the funding opportunities from government and banks for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said the academy in a statement.

On the event, Rashed Al Hebsi, CEO, Tasneef, said: “We decided to launch this summit to enable the UAE’s young leaders to be part of the maritime sector during the preparations of the international event.”

The conference, he stated, would be hosting pioneering businesses and maritime leaders "who will discuss the future of this sector and its strategic orientations; giving the youth an opportunity to see the future offered to them by the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular.”

“This is a golden opportunity for us to use this international event to spread its benefits for society instead of limiting it only to the business sector,” he added.

Waleed Al Nahdi, director, Tasneef Academy, said: “Through the youth summit, we will enable the UAE youth cadres to meet business and maritime leaders in the UAE. These leaders have established themselves at the global level and their interaction with the youth will create public knowledge for the society.”

Al Nahdi said that the summit will focus on three main pillars: the role of the UAE in the international maritime arena and opportunities to become a pioneering international centre; career options in this field and maritime as a trade and commercial opportunity for young entrepreneurs willing to establish their own start-ups in technical, logistics and support services in the maritime sector.

Additionally, the summit will have lively interactions among participants and speakers and will include workshops with maritime leaders who will use simulated training sessions to reduce any psychological barrier between the youth and the fear of the unknown when it comes to the maritime sector. – TradeArabia News Service