BP and Oman Sail’s Khazzan Young Leaders Programme, launched last month, has reached the halfway point with more than 150 students from universities around Oman having already boosted their employment prospects by completing a cycle of specially created experiential learning modules.
The Khazzan Young Leaders Programme was launched as part of BP Oman’s Social Investment initiatives in collaboration with BP’s partner Oman Oil Company for Explorations & Production (OOCEP).
It was fashioned from last year’s BP Young Leaders’ Programme, where 1,400 young people completed a series of multi-activity courses, featuring activities on land and sea, designed to develop a variety of crucial interpersonal skills.
The Khazzan Young Leaders Programme is delivered over an intensive three days in Mussannah, where Oman Sail have their leadership and development centre. It has focused more on business skills such as decision making and goal setting, responsibility and leadership, which are vital in the workplace and transferable to be successful in business. However, the designated course content was just the start of an all-encompassing learning experience, according to Abdullah Habib Al Shaqsi, a student in Nizwa College of Technology.
“The programme offered me more than I expected,” said the final year Communications Technologies student.
“I learned many new skills like teamwork, problem solving and patience. I also made new friends and had a lot of fun. I learned that when we work in a team, we work for a common goal and that everyone can play a key role in the process.
“When I first heard about the Khazzan Young Leaders’ Programme, I thought it might be a sailing and water sports camp, and since I am not familiar with these activities I was eager to learn new things. The programme turned out to be so much more.
“I was not disappointed and would like to thank BP Oman and the organisers for giving me this opportunity. I would definitely want to be part of such programmes in the future and recommend it to anyone looking to enhance key skills in a fun and engaging environment.”
With a total of 300 students selected to participate in the Khazzan Young Leaders’ Programme, the learning outcomes at the half way stage were most encouraging, commented Khamis Al Anbouri, CPD Supervisor.
“These students have spent their lives with their heads in books, preparing for classes or exams; the Khazzan Young Leaders’ Programme has been designed specifically to ease the transition from the academic to the working environment.”
“The idea is that they learn some basic but key skills such as how to overcome common challenges, motivate teams and communicate difficult messages which are designed to increase their employability. These are programmes that will not only benefit the individuals but equally important, develop Oman’s future prospects; the feedback and responses so far have been extremely positive.”
