The internship portal launched by the Ministry of Education (MoE) last
year saw an active participation from the students and private sector
companies. The number of students registering with the portal hit 2,247 male
and female students. The MoE offered 323 high-quality internships for Emirati
students residing in the country and scholarship students abroad in more than
60 local and international private-sector companies, such as the OPEC Fund for
International Development, registering with the portal.
Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Mualla, MoE’s Undersecretary for Academic
Affairs for Higher Education, told Al Bayan Newspaper that the
MoE was planning to expand its partnership through the portal with more
employers from the private sector, to offer Emirati students more internships
in various, distinguished companies. He pointed out that
the ministry worked on developing a platform dedicated for internships in
cooperation with members of the Higher Education Council and the private
sector, to be the first of its kind. He added that the first phase included a
select group of students of public and private higher education institutions
licensed by the MoE, students on scholarships offered by MoE and the Abu Dhabi
Investment Authority, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the
Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), and students studying abroad at
their own expense.
He said, “The
MoE seeks through the “portal” to raise awareness among students of the
importance of training in the private sector to obtain new skills and gain
experience with prominent private-sector employers. It also seeks to offer distinguished
students distinctive internship opportunities that match their desires and
inclinations and develop standards and programs of internships and career
guidance. The MoE also aims to offer students with internships in private-sector
companies, either onsite or virtually.”
Al-Mualla stressed that the MoE was planning to expand partnerships
through the portal with the largest possible number of private-sector employers
to offer internships to Emirati students, who were seeking internship opportunities
in various distinguished companies. He added that the MoE, in
partnership with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE),
organized an introductory workshop for a group of large, well-known private-sector
companies about the internship portal.
He pointed out that the MoE had offered several workshops
and programs, in cooperation with partners from the private sector, and then
launched several phases of internships. He added that the first phase included
the students who fulfilled the requirements for registration with the portal, namely
high-performing Emirati students who had a cumulative average of 3.0 or higher
in the second, third, and fourth academic years. He said that the MoE made sure
the internships offered by the companies matched the students’ wishes. He added
that through this feature, students were able to search for internships according
to specializations and type of companies. He said that the platform also allowed
employers to search students’ profiles and invite them.
He explained that the MoE worked to develop the efficiency of the portal
through adding school students, so that they would have high-quality
internships too, and introducing a mechanism to engage higher education
institutions.
Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Mualla explained that the MoE
had developed a guide for employers on virtual and onsite internships, in
cooperation with the partners, “Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Khalifa
University, New York University, and Al Ghurair Foundation.” He added that the
guide was compatible with the standards of the Commission for Academic
Accreditation, which included “skills, competencies, and best practices.” He
said that the MoE also sought to enhance its partnership with the Emirati
Talent Competitiveness Council (NAFIS) to integrate their joint
efforts and boost internship opportunities in the private sector, to serve as a
gateway for future employment in the private sector.