Mubadala Development Company, Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company, and BAE Systems, the UK defence, aerospace, and security company, today announced the signing of a Student Cooperative Agreement, SCA. The agreement will see the two companies set up an international internship program for Emirati students, and an outreach programme for school children in the UAE.

Beginning this month, with support from Abu Dhabi Education Council, ADEC, Mubadala and BAE Systems will partner on the internship programme until 2020. Each year, five full-time undergraduate engineering students will be selected to attend an intensive 18 week programme at BAE Systems’ Military Air and Information business in England.

Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Education Council, said, "This agreement is a key step towards strengthening the development of our students and the UAE’s future workforce. We’re confident that Mubadala and BAE Systems’ partnership on this initiative will supply UAE youth with the strong technical and engineering skills needed to compete in the global marketplace and ensure UAE competitiveness for generations to come.

"The Abu Dhabi Education Council is working to produce a solid foundation for the development of an integrated knowledge based hub for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This has been done through developing the public school curriculum with focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects." Al Qubaisi added.

Over the course of the internship, students will be immersed in various real-life industry scenarios aligned to their engineering disciplines, including projects such as the evaluation of a large photovoltaic array for BAE Systems, the use of industrial robots in aerospace manufacturing and additive manufacturing or 3D printing technologies.

Homaid Al Shemmari, CEO of Aerospace and Engineering Services at Mubadala, said, "Our partnerships with BAE Systems and ADEC comes at an opportune time for the aerospace industry in the UAE. In line with Abu Dhabi’s vision to establish a global aerospace hub, we constantly strive to contribute to the development of the country’s knowledge based economy in order to bring best-in-class technologies and practices to the region. This internship programme with BAE Systems provides students with first-hand industry experience and is a key tool for empowering and developing our national talent."

Chris Boardman, Managing Director, Military Air and Information, BAE Systems, said, "In setting up this joint internship programme with Mubadala, BAE Systems is able to support the UAE’s ambitions of developing a significant presence in the aerospace sector, whilst sharing and transferring knowledge to the Emirati talent of both now and in the future. Education and skills development in engineering and manufacturing is at the heart of BAE Systems and we are pleased to be able to demonstrate our commitment to the UAE and its national agenda."

Throughout the internship, students will be provided with a wealth of academic and career guidance support, with industry mentors who will give students a real-world perspective on the aerospace and engineering field to set them up for academic success on their return to studies.

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