As part of Panda Retail Company's strong commitment to investing in communities and in order to develop Panda talent base, the company received 50 trainees who are enrolled in the company's Is'ham Training Program and are currently deployed in Panda stores in the West Region. Batches of other 140 trainees are involved in similar trainings in stores across other regions in the Kingdom. In addition, more than 40 management trainees work in Panda Corporate Office as part of Is'ham Training Initiative which Panda has established and launched recently in order to provide Saudi male and female young talents at an early stage of their professional development with intensive learning and upskilling class and on-the-job training in Panda stores across the Kingdom and help them move into highly skilled technical and non-technical roles across the company's head office, stores and distribution centers. I'sham Training Initiative is Panda's Learning & Development platform for developing a new generation of Saudi talents and equipping them with the essential skills to thrive in retail operations and management via on-the-job training in the Company's Corporate Office and on-site training in Panda stores. The Initiative includes: Leadership Training Program, which offers Saudi young talents the opportunity to access leadership and management skills through working side by side with Panda teams; Professional Training Program, which provides the trainees to build practical knowledge and skills essential to operating in a technical field within retail operations; Coop Training Program, which is open to Saudi students attending universities in the Kingdom; Summer Training Program, dedicated to providing training during the summer holiday of the school year to school and university students, above 17 years old; and Seasonal Training Program which sets the participants ready for potential roles in retail industry by exposing them to full understanding of the expectations placed on the temporary, seasonal roles. Dr. Bander Hamooh, Chief Executive Officer of Panda Retail Company, said: "We have established Is'ham Training Initiative, that is aligned with Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision, in order to attract, develop and invest in the top talents in our communities and enable them to acquire know-how, skills and competencies required in the labor market." He added, "We reaffirm our commitment to creating career opportunities and providing learning and development for Saudi nationals in our stores to honor our plans of succession and nationalization in Panda business and operations in the Kingdom." Panda Retail Company is a subsidiary of Savola Group and Saudi Arabia's largest retailer, employing more than 18,000 full-time employees. In addition, the company is considered as one of the biggest retailers in the Middle East with a value spectrum of shopping formats including hypermarkets and supermarkets. The company's purpose is partnering with communities for a better life, making the well-being of its customers its top priority, meeting and exceeding the needs of its customers through an assortment of high-quality and competitive-price products and services. — SG
