AbbVie, a global leading biopharmaceutical company, has concluded its annual summer training program geared to presenting pharmacy students from Saudi universities with an inside look at the practicalities and career possibilities of a pharmacist. This year, the program accepted 21 female and male students from King Abdulaziz University and Taif University. The three-week program was comprised of a series of intensive courses that ran from 8 to 10 hours daily and covered a wide range of topics designed to provide students with practical knowledge needed for their careers as pharmacists. "AbbVie is proud to be a leading proponent of the government's goal, as expressed in Vision 2030, to employ more Saudis at all levels of the economy," said Rami Fayed, general manager of AbbVie in Saudi Arabia. "This program is a powerful addition to an aspiring pharmacist's formal education in the sciences and specifically in pharmacology. The summer courses focus on getting students ready for the work environment, the real life experience of the workplace and the practicalities of pursuing a career path in the field with a global biopharmaceutical company such as AbbVie." Also expressing his support for the annual program was Prof. Zainy M. Banjar, dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at King Abdulaziz University. "We are extremely appreciative of all pharmaceutical companies including the AbbVie program and their efforts to provide our students with a realistic look at what to expect when they graduate. As a university, we prepare students with the science background necessary to become pharmacists and with the involvement of such companies and programs, our students get the opportunity to learn what to expect from a career in pharmacy as well as learn about the various career paths that await them." "It was an invaluable experience," said one student. "We spent a lot of time learning the science of being a pharmacist. AbbVie trained us with a set of other skills and a lot of knowledge to be the best pharmacists that we can be," commented Reem Felemban, a senior student of King Abdulaziz University.
