Muscat: Various topics aimed at developing the skills of budding entrepreneurs and Omani youth to prepare them for the future will be conducted.

Oman Arab Bank has announced the launch of its second series of educational workshops. The Learning Hub platform specialises in accelerating the skills and knowledge of entrepreneurs and the youth, to ensure their readiness to meet the demands of the future.

The workshops commenced on Sunday, November 22, and will run until February 2021. They comprise of several topics of interest, presented by local and international experts. Speakers will be announced every month on OAB’s social media platforms.

Commenting on the upcoming workshops, Adil Al Rahbi, Head of Human Resources Division at OAB, said, “Fresh graduates and budding entrepreneurs require a wider set of skills, in addition to what was taught during their academic studies, for them to be able to achieve success.

“As a leading local financial institution, and in line with our social responsibility strategy, we have taken it upon ourselves to provide these specialised educational workshops, free-of-cost, to aspiring youths and entrepreneurs within the Sultanate. The upcoming workshops will shed light on several interesting topics, innovation, modern technological trends and programmes, paving their way in a world that is becoming increasingly competitive day-by-day.”

The new workshops follow the incredible success of the first comprehensive set of Learning Hub workshops, launched earlier this year alongside the digital learning hub. The platform saw over 700 participants taking part in over 20 specialised workshops that were organised over the course of two months.

Leen Al Atassi, Head of Innovation at OAB, stated: “The second series of workshops will introduce new concepts and programmes that are used to develop innovative solutions and platforms.

“The workshops will discuss topics such as how to apply the principles of design thinking to build a business strategy and develop innovative proof of concepts, an introduction to deep learning, how to build an Artificial Intelligence/Computer Vision MVP and take it to the market, among others. Each workshop will be presented by experts and consultants in their respective fields, and is aimed at enhancing participants’ knowledge.”

“We are delighted to be collaborating with key strategic partners to deliver these workshops. These include GBM, Phazero, ProgressSoft, and NNTC, which are specialised in digital solutions, alongside The Shifting Point and Pentapyramid. I am confident that all participants will be able to benefit from the experience and interaction with experts,” Leen added.

Oman Arab Bank is one of the local financial institutions that support innovation in the banking sector. The Bank also saw the launch of its unique Innovation Lab in the first quarter of this year, which is the first-of-its-kind facility in the Sultanate.

This initiative is in line with the vision of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik – may the Almighty preserve him – and the strategic objectives of Oman Vision 2040, to promote innovation, establish an innovative culture and support the development of young talents in this field.

The Innovation Lab will provide a range of services that include specialised workshops and direct guidance from experts. This will be catered towards students and Fintechs based locally, regionally and globally, as well as to the Bank’s staff, to develop and enhance their skillsets and knowledge, enabling them to turn their innovative ideas into value-added solutions.

Oman Arab Bank has a rich and proud history as one of the first financial institutions to be established in the Sultanate. Today, the bank operates a nationwide network of 54 branches and representative offices and 160 ATMs spread across Oman. OAB provides a complete range of financial products and services for personal banking, corporate banking and investment clients.