French brand has soared up the rankings of top employers among business, natural science students in KSA JEDDAH: L’Oreal Middle East has put together a new program for Saudis called Stretch and Tech, which aims to support new graduates. The 145-hour program exposes students to the global brand’s digital and marketing directions across the company’s major divisions. L’Oreal is also offering CV-building workshops for university students, as well as business talks on the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector and career paths. “Supporting university students in developing their careers and enhancing their employability is key to us, and we are now working on expanding the programs to reach as many universities as possible in Saudi Arabia,” said Jean-Dominique de Ravignan, the brand’s human resources director in the Middle East. In addition to universities such as the University of Business and Technology, Effat, Dar Al-Hekma and the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, L’Oreal is pursuing major accredited academies such as the Misk Academy and MBSC College to attract candidates. “Our strategy across the globe and in Saudi Arabia is to always attract both males and females to work at L’Oreal, as we offer exciting and enriching career opportunities within the different functions such as operations, finance, marketing, commercial etc.,” De Ravignan said. This year, L"Oreal Middle East was named one of the most attractive student employers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia by the Universum Talent Survey 2020. The ranking were drawn from a survey conducted between October 2019 and April 2020, with over 13,500 students in 61 universities across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In the Kingdom, L"Oréal Middle East jumped 31 rankings from last year to become the number two employer among Business and Natural science students. In 2019, L’Oreal Middle East took in 29 interns who joined their flagship fulltime. During the pandemic, student engagement has witnessed a considerable 22 percent increase from last year, attracting 16,283 CVs, the highest number to date. L’Oreal’s digital transformation began long before COVID-19, through utilizing social media platforms to connect with audiences and clients alike. “During COVID-19, our digital strategy has helped us maintain a graduate population of 44 (up four from 2019) in the region despite the challenges. In total, we hired 19 new graduates across the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) this year,” De Ravignan said. L’Oreal focuses on employee upskilling and career development to maintain employee satisfaction. By providing workshops and training, employees become more empowered through knowledge and keeping up to date with the industry’s ever-changing trends. Aside from that, L’Oreal has allocated its first management trainee in the Kingdom, who will be rotating between Jeddah and Dubai. It hopes to sustain its pandemic momentum and further engage students. L’Oreal is also working on a “GCC-ization” program to expand its regional population. Remi Chadapaux, regional managing director of the Paris-based company, told Arab News in July that the Middle East is central to L’Oreal’s global strategy. It has been in the region since 1960, and now employs 520 people in the GCC region, selling around 30 of its own branded products and others from its international catalogue of some of the best-known names in the beauty business. It set up in Saudi Arabia in 2012 in partnership with a local entrepreneur. “Saudi Arabia is a big focus for us, and we have a very important relationship. It has been the focus ever since I arrived,” Chadapaux said. “We’ve refocused all the decisions and the brands toward Saudi, and we’re doing well there. It’s very important to have the right partner. Saudi Arabia has positive demographics. I’m very positive about the region as a whole and especially about Saudi Arabia.”