An exciting partnership between London Metropolitan Business School and Commercial Bank of Qatar has produced its first cohort of graduates.
Date: 27/01/2012
An exciting partnership between the School of Business and Law and Commercial Bank of Qatar has produced its first cohort of graduates.
London Met staff facilitated the Commercial Bank Management Development Programme, training employees of the Doha based organisation in areas such as financial control, management studies and leadership.
The project is a brilliant example of how leading educational institutions can work closely with business, matching the skills in the Business School with the needs of Commercial Bank.
Kate Cooper, Subject Group Leader in Management, Strategy and Leadership, said: “Here we are in the City, in the heart of the financial services industry, doing things we know about to help practitioners achieve their goals. It’s such a good match of our expertise and real industry needs.
“Our staff taught the students during a series of three-day blocks and we also hosted a summer school for them here in London. The external examiner was very impressed with the students’ work.”
One of the students, Najla Hussain, won an Outstanding Student Award for her excellent performance during the programme. She was presented with a piece of art from London Met’s The Cass. “Najla was absolutely thrilled,” added Kate.
The partnership with Commercial Bank highlights the need for many organisations in Qatar to up-skill their employees, and the School of Business and Law is ideally skilled for the task.
Andrew Stevens, Group CEO at Commercial Bank, said: “We are committed to training young leaders and equipping them with the necessary skills for the future, which is why we signed a strategic partnership with London Met's School of Business and Law, a globally renowned centre of excellence, specialising in skills relevant to the banking sector.
“The alliance with London Met has proven so successful that we look forward to two further cohorts graduating in August 2012. To undertake the programme, candidates underwent rigourous selection criteria including a one-to-one interview with London Met tutors to ensure suitability for admission to the programme.
“Our partnership with London Met highlights the commitment of Commercial Bank to providing the best possible vocational training, in order to generate future generations of managers.”
Professor Malcolm Gillies, Vice-Chancellor of London Met, and Dean Ray Madden, travelled to Doha to meet the students at their certification ceremony.
Ray said: “It was a brilliant ceremony and a real celebration of success. This a great model of how to take our best talent and use it to help businesses up-skill their employees, and it’s something we’d like to replicate.
“We are now working with Commercial Bank on their plans to open a special learning academy in Doha next year.”
