Doha, 30 June, 2009 – Qatar National Bank (QNB) and Qatar's Ministry of Labor signed a Memorandum of Understanding to train 75 Qatari high school graduates during the summer.
The agreement was signed at the Ministry's headquarters in Doha between Qatar's Minister of Labor His Excellency Dr. Sultan Hassan Al-Dhabit Al-Dosari and QNB Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Ali Shareef Al-Emadi.
The 75 students will receive training in three batches of 25 students each, with each young national receiving a full month of intensive training at the QNB Training & Development Center in Doha.
QNB was the first financial institution in Qatar to initiate summer training for secondary school students and will continue to pursue this program in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor.
The training sessions will be held at the QNB Training Center in Doha and will include a hands-on experience of what it takes to work at a bank. QNB's professional training staff will give trainees theoretical and practical guidance in various banking procedures and systems to build the skills required by fresh graduates to pursue rewarding careers in banking, especially in advanced computer applications and English language proficiency courses.
QNB's Training & Development Centre was established in February 2008. The Centre is responsible for the ongoing training of all QNB Group employees to build and enhance skill sets and help them effectively realize their inherent potential, both in the pursuit of personal goals and in helping QNB effectively implement its operational plans.
The Centre has two major halls for training which can host groups of up to 25 each. In addition, it has two fully equipped technology centers and three meeting rooms with interactive presentation equipment, video and audio technology, as well as fast internet access. It also has an extensive library, with hundreds of banking and business reference books.
The Centre was further equipped recently with a representative Model Branch which is used to train employees in a setting identical to those they will experience when commencing full duties at any of the Bank's branches or offices.
QNB has pursued an active Qatarization program since its inception and regularly participates in key recruitment forums and opportunities in Qatar. The Bank's Qatarization policies are developed as Five-Year Plans that consider both the overall induction numbers of national graduates, as well as generating quality employment opportunities across all banking activities to ensure job diversity.
The percentage of Qatari nationals at the QNB Group exceeded 51% at the end of the May 2009, a ratio that surpasses the internal target set by QNB in its current Five-Year Qatarization Plan, which targeted a ratio of at least 50% national employees at the end of its tenure in 2009.
QNB maintains a healthy balance of Qatari employees across the Bank's various operating units and in different areas of specialization, with nearly 60% of the Bank's current senior and middle management being nationals.
QNB also attracts outstanding banking talents from across the world with a contractual obligation to transfer their expertise and skills to their Qatari peers through daily interaction and training initiatives.
The QNB Group is currently preparing its Five-Year Qatarization Plan for 2010-2014. Part of this mandate will be to further develop the Bank's staff training system, while identifying and preparing talented staff early in their careers for succession programs to take on more advanced responsibilities within the QNB Group.