The Middle East Association is delighted to be organising its second conference on Learning and Leadership in the MENA region. The conference is supported by UK Trade and Investment and will be held at the BIS conference centre on Monday 2 November 2009.

The Conference will provide a forum for senior representatives from government, the private sector and academia to share their ideas and experience of the challenges involved in developing a highly skilled workforce in the region and educating tomorrow’s leaders.

The Conference will open with keynote addresses by HE Dr Nizar Al Baharna (Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bahrain, and Chairman of Tamkeen) and Sir Paul Judge.  In a further keynote address after a networking buffet lunch, Mr Andrew Fiddaman (Managing Director) will describe the role and activities of The Prince’s Youth Business International in support of young entrepreneurs around the world.  The conference will also involve four panel sessions led by regional and UK experts. Each session will provide the opportunity for interactive dialogue and discussion. Among the issues panellists will address are:

• Meeting the needs of industry:  private sector needs in education and training;
• Education for employability: bridging the gap between the education and employment sectors; education reforms and collaboration with governments;
• Training and leadership skills: providing training opportunities and developing leadership skills for local nationals;
• Building effective international partnerships: effective learning from the experience of others.