PDI INVITATION

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

YOU ARE INVITED...

Dear All,

If you are graduating this coming May or June 2016, you are invited to apply for the Professional Development Initiative (PDI), Spring/Summer term 2016. Current U.S. host companies are particularly interested in civil/geotech engineering graduates, but all majors may apply. (If you know a Kuwaiti friend who is graduating this December, please forward this email to him or her.)

The Professional Development Initiative (PDI) provides Kuwaiti students on F-1 visas in the United States with a well-targeted, year-long Optional Practical Training (OPT) opportunity to work with a U.S. institution before returning home. The PDI includes leadership training before and throughout the PDI term.

The PDI is administered by three program partners: the Embassy of the State of Kuwait, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), and the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC). These PDI program partners will identify qualified American host companies to participate in this prestigious program; identify prospective PDI applicants, screen these applicants, and name the finalists in this highly competitive program. The PDI program partners will match up these finalists, based on degree, skills, and interests, with appropriate host companies in the United States.

For further details about whether you qualify to apply for this highly competitive program, click HERE.

PDI Deadline for Spring/Summer Term Applications:

October 31, 2015

(Password for application: PDI2016NuSaCc)

What some 2014-15 Fellows said about their work:

Abdulhusain Ben Nakhi

Civil Engineer, Langan International, New York City, NY

Langan has provided many experiences for me in order to develop my knowledge and skills to become a better engineer. I was assigned a simple task after I finished my AutoCad training to get familiar with the type of projects that I would be working on during my internship. The company has an amazing work environment - I can get help from any employee. In addition, the company provides both inside and outside social activities such as soccer games, skinning, play station contests, golf and more, to give everyone a chance to become a member of their family.

NYC is a great place to start my career because of the amount of projects, experience, and relationships I am having during the year.

Mohammed Albader

Practice Manager, MetLife, Chicago, IL

Working at MetLife has been a major eye-opener and a continuation of a never-ending learning process. The business of financial advisory can be frustrating because it takes many weeks or months of multiple meetings to build a relationship with a client that in the end might not close with a sale. So you learn that you can't control the outcomes, but you can control your actions and your attitude, and being consistent will eventually pay off.