Bank of America, in cooperation with Education For Employment (EFE), has implemented job-shadowing sessions with EFE graduates. Graduates who joined the sessions had the opportunity to learn more about Bank of America, its’ business, culture, environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and its policies regarding diversity and inclusion (D&I).

Bank of America gave this opportunity to students after completing the Digital Future skills training program in partnership with Accenture. Fifteen students from different majors and two universities got the chance to participate in the job shadowing sessions.

One of these students was Friyana Guzder, an LLB Honors Law student at Middlesex University – Dubai. After Friyana attended the job shadowing session, it encouraged her to think about the possibility of a legal career in financial services. Her favorite part of the session was speaking to and getting to know employees from various departments, understanding how they work, and exactly what they do.

Friyana admits that prior to the job shadowing session, she had little knowledge of the nature of the work done at Bank of America. However, as soon as the session started, she quickly started to understand how the business works, learning more about the world of investment banking and the importance of ESG and D&I. Reflecting on her time, Friyana says how impactful she found this statement and how it has really resonated with her. She also says, “attending the job shadowing session strengthened my ethics, and one should always remain true, honest, and giving to learn back throughout a career.”

Lastly, Friyana thanks Bank of America – Dubai and Education For Employment for this invaluable experience and looks forward to graduating, before going on to support the judicial system, whichever sector she chooses to join.

Jahnavi Singh, also spent a day with the team at Bank of America – Dubai. Jahnavi is from India, living in United Arab Emirates (UAE), studying Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and majoring in accounting and finance at Manipal University.

During her study, Jahnavi quickly realized her keen interest in the regulatory landscape surrounding the world of accounting and has learnt more about the application and theory behind the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) principles, developing a greater understanding of how standardized regulations and disclosures are applied.

Jahnavi was one of a select few students who completed the training of the Digital Future Skills on the Accenture platform. Upon completion, Education For Employment invited her to a job shadowing session with its' leading partner, Bank of America.

Jahnavi says, "I also became an Accenture Ambassador for the Digital Future Skills training program at Manipal University, where my job was to encourage others to learn and benefit from this free training. Furthermore, I was exceptionally lucky to be nominated for the job shadowing day at Bank of America in Dubai, which was a fantastic learning experience".

Lastly, Jahnavi says that she would not only consider the banking sector once graduating but Bank of America itself. Just one session at Bank of America was enough for her to take this decision!

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