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Excellence In Schools
AL FUTTAIM EDUCATION FOUNDATION PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH VOCATIONAL INTERNSHIPS THE ECONOMY IS CHANGING DAILY, AND WITH IT, THE TALENTS AND SKILLS REQUIRED TO BE SUCCESSFUL ARE EVOLVING TOO. THE JOB MARKET IS A COMPETITIVE ONE, AND OFTEN THAT IS A DEMANDING LEARNING CURVE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. THIS IS A BIG REASON BEHIND THE GROWTH OF INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH PROVIDE REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE AND EXPOSURE. SO, IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE OFFERED A BENEFICIAL INTERNSHIP, IT CAN BE EXTRAORDINARILY VALUABLE FOR YOUR FUTURE CAREER.
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ecently, for example, AlFuttaim Automotive ran an exclusive Ramadan Internship programme for its Al Futtaim Education Foundation senior school students. The role was advertised on ‘A Future with Us’, and interested students had to submit a virtual application and were then scheduled for one-to-one interviews with the respective Branch Manager. Seventeen interns were selected from Deira International School and Universal American School in Dubai Festival City. The two sister schools are owned and operated by Al Futtaim Education Foundation. The interns were placed in Al-Futtaim Automotive’s Honda, Volvo, CJDR, Toyota, and Lexus showrooms as Customer Experience Representatives. The students reported to their respective Branch Managers on the first day of Ramadan following a two-day training and orientation run by the Automotive Academy. They also received uniforms and badges and, upon finishing the programme, a Certificate of Completion. The internship duration was from 13 April to 10 May, weekdays from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm.
Today’s Talent, Tomorrow’s Success The students learned the ropes ‘on the floor’ of the various showrooms for one whole month, until Eid. Ramadan is the busiest time of the season for automotive dealerships, but the students were definitely up for the challenge and eager to get some hands-on experience in sales, communications and customer service. After completing the internship programme, Malaika Malik, a Grade 11 student from Universal American School, was invited onto Dubai Eye Radio 103.8 to discuss her experience and why she
chose an internship in a car showroom. In the interview, Malaika reflected on the process and talked about how she learned about all the car specifications and selling points, as well as the consumer’s buying process. She was also asked about her thoughts and predictions about car sales in the future, giving a very thoughtful and considered reply that belied her age and experience. It is not often that a 16-year-old gains real sales experience and gets the chance to sell the latest Land Cruiser – in less than a couple of weeks. The customers were quite surprised when they learned Malaika’s age, as she explained: “They were really shocked at my age; that I was 16, helping them purchase a car!” The reaction from Ray Addison, the journalist behind the Motor Mania radio show, summed up exactly how we all felt after hearing Malaika’s interview: “I think there will be a lot of people listening in, who own their businesses, who will be thinking I need somebody like Malaika working in my company.” In fact, so impressed was everyone at Dubai Eye Radio 103.8 that they now feature
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