The BP leadership development programme recently welcomed 84 Omani girls from the International Maritime College in Sohar and College of Applied Science in Ibri to Oman Sail’s sailing school in Mussanah for a three-day course designed to address the increasing workforce demand for individuals with transferable skills. Aided by 12 facilitators, made up of Oman Sail trainers and BP apprentices, the students took part in individual and group tasks on land and at sea that challenged their creativity, initiative and integrity, while teaching leadership, communication, teamwork and problem-solving will enhance their employability and play a vital role in their personal development.
“These three days changed me a lot. I was impressed by the structure of the programme, the warm welcome from the facilitators and the diversity of indoor and outdoor activities,” said Jokha Al Hinai, a student from Oman International Maritime College. “My colleagues and I learned valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork, confidence, sharing, trust, time management and planning. I am already feeling the impact, not only in my social life, but also in my academic life.”
Issa Al Mughairi, Programme Facilitator, commented, “This intensive learning programme started in September last year yet it has received fantastic positive feedback from the participants as well as the management of the colleges. The management were so impressed that they requested that programme facilitators visit the colleges and conduct workshops with the students to build confidence and promote self-empowerment.”
“We aim to regularly assess and evaluate every aspect of the programme to ensure that it can evolve and continually offer the best quality training possible,” AL Mughairi added.
Each participant takes part in role-play sessions where they learn how to take responsibility more readily and communicate more effectively. Included in their challenges are; tailored sessions that comprise a mix of both theoretical and practical lessons and students also receive results from a self-reported psychometric evaluation tool on 'Mental Toughness' to give them further feedback on their personal preferences for emotional life, control and challenges. The results of this evaluation are also useful in measuring their levels of commitment and confidence.
Delegates also take part in discussions and debates and are put through a series of practical workshops including sailing sessions at Oman Sail Sailing School in Mussanah.
Sailing is seen as a great teaching tool and is one of many activities, along with sub-aqua diving and camping, where it is necessary to work as a team by applying problem solving and decision-making skills. Sailing is a growing sport in the region thanks to Oman Sail’s commitment to increase participation and over the last few years, Oman Sail has set new standards and pushed boundaries to encourage more young Omanis to take part.
The BP Young Leaders Programme, run in partnership with Oman Sail, aims to reach 1,400 Omani college and university students from Al Dhahira and Al Dakhiliya as part of BP’s social investment initiatives in the Governorates. Students, apprentices and Ministry of Manpower job seekers were allocated to take part in seven three-day training workshops. The initiative comes under the umbrella of Oman Sail’s CPD programme, which uses the company’s expertise in developing sporting athletes.
