The British Council and HSBC Bank Middle East celebrated the winners of their annual Taqaddam life skills programme at the Meydan Hotel in Dubai.

Now in its third year, the programme attracted its highest level of participation to date, with registrations from 380 students, an increase of 39 per cent compared to last year, representing 16 different schools.

Developed using content created by the Goodall Foundation, the thirteen-week Taqaddam programme provides 15-16 year olds a wide set of enduring personal and professional strengths and skills increasingly required in today’s rapidly changing work environment.

According to a recent report by the British Council of more than 500 business leaders in the UAE, local job seekers must have skills at the highest level in order to compete with the best talent from across the world. They must embrace STEM skills – science, technology, engineering and math – and gain fluency in English.

With the UAE Government acknowledging the importance of youth development and participation in achieving Vision 2021, the British Council says there is an increasing appetite from schools in developing resilient young people that can enter the workforce with confidence.

All Taqaddam activities are planned to provide young people with a greater understanding of life skills and to communicate and demonstrate these skills to others, including employers in the future. In their final task, students demonstrate their learning by presenting a solution to a global or social challenge affecting their community.