By Kabeer Yousuf — MUSCAT: Feb 12 - A leadership programme was launched on Sunday that aims at building the capacity of Omani schoolchildren and the college students through experiential learning. They will be provided with intensive training in soft skills in an attempt to prepare quality workforce in various sectors. Oman Sail has joined forces with the Omani Authority for Partnership for Development (OAPFD) to launch the programme, called Zimam National Leadership Programme.
Zimam will draw 900 male and female students from seven government schools and five colleges in the North and South Al Batinah regions. It will train them in groups and as individuals for 14 weeks using Oman Sail’s Corporate Personal Development programme.
The school programme will select Grade 8 students from government schools in and around Mussanah for a two-day course to develop teamwork, communication and confidence.
The college students will go through a three-day residential course focusing on discipline, responsibility, problem-solving and career planning.
Dr Dhafir al Shanfari, CEO, OAPFD, told the Observer on the sidelines of the event that the idea was conceived on the belief that young Omanis “need some soft skills training to fit them in any role that the job market requires”.
The event was presided over by Dr Muna al Jardaniya, Undersecretary of Ministry of Manpower. It was attended by Hamoud al Harthy, Undersecretary of Ministry of Education; John Wilks, British Ambassador to Oman; and David Graham, CEO, Oman Sail.
“This is a project that focuses on youth development and two segments of beneficiaries: school students and university graduates. Oman Sail has developed leadership programmes that have a proven track record,” said Dr Al Shanfari.
He said the OAPFD is keen on backing the youth. As part of the training and development programme, they will go through various modules of learning, practices and exercises so as to become a “self-confident workforce” in the future.
“We seek to bring them out of their comfort zone and make them independent at a tender age, which will enable them to face any challenges in the future,” he said.
The initial pilot programme will be for 14 weeks starting on Thursday, in which young Omanis will learn about leadership, decision-making and problem-solving as they prepare for the next stage of their life.
David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail, said on successful completion of the pilot programme, a wider syllabus will be rolled out that will enable Omani children to undertake full leadership development pathway throughout their school and college careers and help build Omani’s future leaders.
“We are relying on principles we adopted when coaching Omani sailors to the top of the sport. To achieve this, we have OAPFD, the visionary, forward-thinking partner. Our joint aim is to deliver high-quality self-leadership training to the Omani Youth on a national scale,” he said.
The training sessions will be using outdoors to impart lessons on listening, self-belief, self-motivation, tenacity, diligence, focus, attention to detail and teamwork.
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