BD announces ‘GenZ’ internship program to empower youth in MENA region

The Dubai branch of BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company) has announced its ‘GenZ’ internship program, to empower youth in the MENA region with 21st-century employable skills. Over the next two years, the company hopes to provide young talent in MENA with hands-on corporate experience in various organizational responsibilities, preparing them for a successful career.

The BD GenZ internship program began in 2018 and has had a positive impact on several young people. The internship lasts for eight weeks, during which time the interns are exposed to various modules that help students improve business skills, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and self-management. They are also assigned a mentor who will assist them throughout the program and provide career guidance.

“It is always said that the brightest ideas come from the youngest minds,” said Maher Elhassan, Vice President & General Manager, BD Middle East, North Africa & Turkey. 

Further explained, “At BD, we seek to delight in nurturing this thought and want to impact the youth in the region by being a proponent of such initiatives that help them lay a strong foundation for a better tomorrow. The Middle East and North Africa are home to the world’s youngest population, with more than half under 25. Programs like these not only guide the young generation to nurture their skills but also set a pace to their career progression while inculcating growth mindset the BD way”.

“At BD, we believe that the success of any effort cannot be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people. On this International Youth Day 2021, we reiterate our commitment to diversity and inclusion to celebrate and inspire youth in the region to achieve great feats in the future,” said Haya Aboud, HR Manager, BD, MENA.

BD has also implemented online learning courses to help candidates build crucial technical and soft skills during their internship, enabling the GenZ program to run smoothly in the current climate of remote and hybrid working. BD’s goal with this program is to lower the region’s unemployment rate by instilling a culture that promotes young people’s professional development.