VPS to provide job training for Mideast region's youths

VPS Healthcare said on Monday that it will provide job training to youths in the United Arab Emirates and surrounding region as part of a new initiative launched at last week's World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, held in Jordan.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where most of the population is under 25 years old, has the highest regional youth unemployment rate in the world, VPS said.

In an effort to address this, VPS will train approximately 1,000 youths in the region through 2017 on skills that can help them find jobs.

“I am extremely proud to be a part of this initiative focusing on curbing the unemployment prevalent in the region," VPS Director of Human Resources Rajesh Verma said. "We would focus on equipping the youth with relevant skills to fill that vital gap in the region, as well as train them about the spirit of entrepreneurship.”

Eight other companies are joining VPS as founding partners in the initiative, and they have committed to increasing corporate efforts to close the gap of necessary skills that young people need to enter the work force.

“We have decided to start with training 1,000 youth currently, but the numbers will increase gradually, and we will do everything at our end to support this initiative in the best possible manner,” VPS Managing Director Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil said.