Business & Money | Sunday 10 April, 2016 5:20 pm |

Starbucks in coalition with Bayt.com and Education For Employment (EFE) is organizing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s largest training workshop on CV writing. The workshop will take place on April 18 and will be organised simultaneously across 30 Starbucks stores in 10 MENA countries.

 

As part of Starbucks’ Global Month of Service, which is carried out worldwide each year during the month of April, Opportunity Café will provide youth from across the region with the chance to receive strategic career advice from key experts. Collectively, the Opportunity Cafés will deliver 120 group training sessions to nearly 1,200 youth between the ages of 16 and 35 who aspire to improve their CVs and interview skills as they seek employment opportunities.

 

Commenting on the occasion, Rana Shaheen, Regional Communications and CSR Manager for Starbucks MENA, said, “Through its growing presence in the MENA, Starbucks aims to be a positive force at the heart of the communities where it operates. By giving local youth the opportunity to pick up valuable insights over a cup of Starbucks coffee, we hope to help set these ambitious young people on the path to success. Our partnership with Bayt.com and Education For Employment (EFE) is making to possible to take this initiative to as many people.”

 

"We are excited about the tremendous possibilities that Opportunity Cafés can create," said Suhail Masri, VP Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. "At Bayt.com, our mission is to empower people with the necessary tools and information to build promising careers. This partnership between Bayt.com, Starbucks and EFE will have a profound impact on the economic future of hundreds of young people and their wider communities. As an organization that has been bridging the gap between job seekers and employers in the Middle East for the past 16 years, we know that a powerful CV is one of the most important tools a professional could have in their career arsenal. We are proud to support professionals in the region with the necessary career guidance."

 

Jasmine Nahhas di Florio, Vice President for Partnerships & Strategy at EFE-Global, added that, “As we continue to work with tens of thousands of young women and men across MENA, EFE believes that with the right skills and opportunities, youth have the potential to create a positive difference in their communities and economies. We are pleased to partner with Starbucks as it opens its doors to youth across the region in order to provide CV-writing and interviewing insights that  will consequently lead youth to better economic opportunities.”

 

In 2011, Starbucks declared April as its Global Month of Service, creating the opportunity for Starbucks partners (employees) and customers to connect and volunteer to serve their community. Since 2013, Starbucks MENA has contributed over 20,000 service hours to its local communities and brought together over 3,000 volunteers in 34 city-wide projects across 10 markets in the MENA region.