Leading UAE banking establishment signals its intentions as it signs an MOU with a locally based forum. Sharjah Islamic Bank and Sharjah Tatweer Forum will work together to enhance serving the community.
At its Sharjah Head Office, Sharjah Islamic Bank signed an MOU with Sharjah Tatweer Forum with the aim of strengthening mutual cooperation and to benefit from the technical and human resource expertise of the bank’s training section to better serve the community. Falling within the scope of the partnership project recently launched by Sharjah Tatweer Forum between the public and private sector organizations, Sharjah Tatweer Forum seeks through this program to activate the role of the private sector in various economic and social activities, particularly within the Emirate of Sharjah.
The MOU was signed on behalf of Sharjah Islamic Bank by Mr. Saeed Mohammed Al Amiri, Head of Human Resources Group, whereas Sharjah Tatweer Forum was represented in signing this agreement by its Chairmen Mr. Hussain Al Mahmoudi.
Mr. Saeed Mohammed Al Amiri said about the occasion: “According to this agreement the Bank will put the potentials and expertise of its training section at the disposal of Sharjah Tatweer Forum programs. This will take the form of conducting a number of professional assessment tests relating to the analysis of personality and potentials of employees”.
Mr. Amiri pointed out that the training section in coordination with the Arabian Assessment and Development Centre (AADC) representing the British Society for Psychological Sciences, did work towards qualifying a group of ten UAE qualified nationals in various departments of the bank to conduct professional assessment tests being certified with international standards. This will make the bank one of the few leading organizations to work under the umbrella of the British Society for Psychology to provide such tests in Arabic languages. The clarity of the language and conformity with the local cultural aspects of the Gulf society are of paramount importance in these tests. This is deemed to ensure test accuracy and reliability of results. According to this mechanism the bank’s assessment team with the AADC administer the test and provide final reports to competent Authorities in Arabic.
Commenting on the MOU, the President of Sharjah Tatweer Forum said: “This agreement constitutes a practical step of the partnership program between public and private sector organizations. It falls within the overall endeavor to establish the Emirate of Sharjah as a unique business center in the region. This program allows organizations to participate in an effort to upgrade their performance levels by improving the capabilities and talents of their human resources and by enhancing the exchange of expertise using its contact network. The program includes several training sessions and activities to exchange views and to develop awareness of the best accredited practices to improve the corporate competitive advantages.”
Mr. Mahmoudi added that, according to the partnership program, Sharjah Tatweer Forum will put the expertise of the Bank’s professional assessment team at the disposal of various sectors and organizations in Sharjah. At least three professional assessment programs will be organized which will contribute to building a specialized professional database focusing on the capabilities and personality genre of the employees of participating departments.
Mr. Al Mahmoudi praised the initiative of Sharjah Islamic Bank to provide its services as it represents positive response to the partnership program between public and private sectors launched by Sharjah Tatweer Forum. He reiterated that “the success of this agreement will give us the momentum to expand the Partnership Program and Tatweer Leadership Program for UAE National. The purpose of these programs is to enhance the orientation of Sharjah Tatweer Forum to build the UAE’s young leaders and to strengthen the partnership between the public and private sectors, in addition to creating the suitable work environment that enhances building human resource capabilities and attract more regional and global investments into the Emirate of Sharjah.
It is worth noting that Sharjah Islamic Bank recently won an award for the highest nationalization rate among the private sector organizations in the G.C.C. countries, as it realized 50% Emiratization in the last quarter of 2006. Sharjah Islamic Bank has been recognized with many prestigious awards such as the Financial Sector Economic Excellence Award 2003 and 2005, the Emiratization Award of the Fourth Session Chartered Accountants and Auditors Society 2005 – 2006 and the annual Local Human Resource Development Award in banking for the years 2003 and 2005.
