Graduation ceremony for hearing impaired held

The Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA), in association with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA), held a graduation ceremony to honour 17 students who have successfully completed the country’s first ever hearing impaired programme.The graduation ceremony was attended by VIPs, including HE the Minister of Administrative Development and Labour and Social Affairs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi.The programme ran for duration of eight weeks, with students attending four weekly sessions for four hours covering topics such as personal planning, creative thinking, general management, social media marketing, career excellence, communication skills and stress and time management.“Give the hearing impaired community a voice – breaking down barriers for those living with hearing disabilities, was the main driving theme behind the programme we developed which is the first of its kind not only here in Qatar, but in the Middle East as a whole,” said Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida, QFCA chief executive.QFC’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities have largely been focused on inclusion and accessibility and this programme was created to ensure that members of the hearing impaired community have equal access to and an equal opportunity at higher education programmes and services to prepare them for work in the fields of banking and finance, he said.“Human resources are a nation’s prime wealth, as capital and natural resources while important, hold no tangible value without a well-educated and equipped human element. Human development and empowerment with knowledge and appropriate training is also one of the prerequisites for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development,” said Dr Abdulaziz al-Horr, QFBA chief executive.The students set goals for themselves, and have sought to achieve them with perseverance and due diligence, and here they are now among us writing a success story marked by resolve and determination, while reaping the fruits of their labour, according to him.