The Middle East youth constitute about one third of the region's - population and nearly half of its working-age population. Experts agree that this provides the region with a demographic window of opportunity that will only materialize if there is sufficient investment in human capital development and opportunities for employment. Despite the global financial crisis and the impact on the Middle East, the private sector is expected to continue to play a critical role in offering career opportunities for talented youth graduating this year.
Professional services firm Deloitte has launched a program to specifically target graduating nationals in the Middle East. The Deloitte Invites Top Talent (DITT) initiative has concluded a successful rollout in five cities - Beirut, Amman, Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar. 250 students rated highest by their universities joined, by invitation, a number of assessment activities included meetings with Deloitte leaders, and working in teams with Deloitte professionals on case studies where they role played actual Deloitte employee responsibilities. This provided them a valuable, first-hand experience of the career opportunities that Deloitte offers in areas such as audit, consulting, risk, financial or tax advisory services. Deloitte hired 400 people in the region in the last 12 months.
"Our long history of close to 85 years in providing services to clients in the region, and our commitment to the advancement of education and learning, afford us the knowledge and skills to integrate ME nationals successfully in our firm. The needs of our clients are met by a diverse group of expert partners who predominantly come from the Middle East region, and who train and mentor nationals to advance to leadership positions," said Omar Fahoum, chairman and chief executive of Deloitte Middle East.
"Deloitte in the Middle East aims to attract and retain the most sought after talent from the region and we are committed to establishing long term key strategic partnerships with leading universities to achieve this goal," said Rana Ghandour Salhab, regional talent and communications partner at Deloitte Middle East. "As a best employer in the ME, we believe in connecting the region's top talent with Deloitte's rewarding opportunities which provide learning experiences, career growth and advancement up to partner levels."
In April 2009, Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) was named a Best Employer by global human resources consulting firm, Hewitt Associates, after the largest employee research project ever undertaken in the Middle East region. The award is designed to recognize best practices in talent management. Deloitte in the Middle East was the only professional services firm to receive this accolade.
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About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and its member firms.
Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than140 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and deep local expertise to help clients succeed wherever they operate. Deloitte's more than 168,000 professionals are committed to becoming the standard of excellence.
About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.):
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT) with uninterrupted presence for over 80 years in the Middle East region. Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is among the region's leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through 26 offices in 15 countries with over 2,000 partners, directors and staff. Deloitte & Touche (M. E.) is a 2009 Hewitt Best Employer in the Middle East.
© Press Release 2009
