EY announced the launch of the the 2016 Student Excellence Award (SEA) in Oman. The event will be held on 25 April, 2016 at Muscat Intercontinental Hotel, in association with Alizz Islamic Bank, Bank Muscat, BAE Systems, and Nama Group, as well as leading universities in Oman.
The SEA, which was first launched in 2012, aims to recognize Oman’s best students in accounting, finance and IT.
Ahmed Al Esry, Office Managing Partner, EY Oman, Said, “We are very excited to be holding the Student Excellence Award for the fifth year running. The SEA inspires and motivates young Omani graduate students to strive to achieve higher standards of excellence, provided with an opportunity to learn how leading organizations work. The objective of this initiative acts to enhance the professional skills talented Omani students’ work and efforts. The SEA is a testament to our continued commitment to investing in Oman’s future generations of successful business professionals. The SEA also gives young Omanis a platform to participate competitively based on their merit, which cultivates a positive driven attitude that continues into the workplace.”
The SEA is held on a national level with 10 universities participating in this year’s event. The top five students in each discipline, nominated by each of the participating universities (based on their GPA) undergo a challenging and demanding evaluation process designed by EY.
The 10 selected universities and colleges identified for the 2016 award include: Sultan Qaboos University; Higher College of Technology; College of Banking and Financial Studies; Majan College, The Modern College for Business & Science, Waljat College, Oman College of Management and Technology, Nizwa College for Technology, Middle East College and Caledonian College for Engineering.
This year, students will only be assessed on Accounting, Finance and IT. In prior years, Business Administration was included in the assessment. The finalists are evaluated on their academic performance, analytical skills, subject knowledge, communication and presentation skills.
The evaluation consists of a technical test in accounting and finance, in addition to a written IT test. The students will also need to write and present business plans and participate in a group discussion on a topic that was chosen by them. Personal interviews will be conducted at the end of the day. Through these criteria, a senior team of EY professionals will assess and short list the top five from each discipline.
Among other prizes, each of the top five winners from each discipline will be offered an internship opportunity with EY or one of the companies associated with the award, Alizz Islamic Bank, Bank Muscat, BAE Systems and Nama Group.