Representatives from the partner organisations of BP Oman’s $5 million Social Investment Programme on Sunday attended the launch of the new season of the programme. Eng. Yousuf Al Ojaili, President of BP Oman, attended the event and gave the welcoming remarks to the partners at a ceremony, held in Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM).
BP Oman delivered an interactive session which set out the programme’s objectives and provided a platform for networking. With an aim to complement Oman’s national agenda of job creation and economic diversification, the programme continues to nurture nationals with knowledge and skills through a wide array of initiatives.
“Since its inception, the Social Investment Programme has aspired to contribute towards the development and qualification of nationals by strengthening their capabilities and developing the knowledge needed for personal growth and development,” said Eng. Yousuf Al Ojaili. “We at BP Oman aim to encourage Omanis to progress and explore opportunities that add value by supporting Oman’s primary objectives,” he added.
Education, enterprise development and energy sustainability are at the core of BP Oman’s Social Investment Programme strategy. To supplement these themes and categories, a number of new partners have joined BP Oman’s journey, resulting in a total of 20 partners and 28 initiatives.
This diverse and broad framework will be managed by three implementing partners, namely Youth Vision, The Firm and INJAZ Oman. Youth Vision provides youth in Oman with personal development skills and strives to engage them in community issues and familiarise them about the importance of voluntary social work. The Firm is a professional Omani company that provides professional business consulting and capacity building opportunities. It aspires to develop original concepts and practical training solutions for its clients’ needs. INJAZ Oman is a non-profit organisation that promotes youth education and training under three pillars – workforce readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. It seeks to inspire the next generation of Omanis to utilise their talents, passion and determination to become the foremost business leaders and entrepreneurial visionaries of tomorrow.
Several new initiatives have been added in the new season of BP Oman’s Social Investment Programme, while many continue from previous programmes. The focus of the programme will continue to reach beyond concession areas leading to more diverse initiatives. This season, there is an expansion in energy sustainability programmes as well as enterprise development programmes, covering several new topics that are in-line with the BP Oman Social Investment Programme strategy. The new season brings 12 educational programmes, which cover STEM, financial literacy, leadership, skills for life programmes. The enterprise development programmes have been increased to seven and will be targeting Omani women entrepreneurs, potential startups, SMEs and students with business projects. The energy sustainability programmes are targeting higher education institutes and potential SMEs in the energy sector. To date the Social Investment Programme has reached more than 33,000 beneficiaries since its commencement in 2014. It strives to nurture each demographic segment with a focus on engaging all ages and genders, giving them equal opportunities for growth.