UAE students will be taught specialised financial skills under a new programme borne from an agreement between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Bloomberg LP. The aim of the Adnoc-Bloomberg Education Initiative is to ensure the UAE’s workforce is ready to navigate capital markets and securities. Students will learn the fundamentals of global financial markets and the role of financial information and analytics in the investment and trading community. The agreement between Adnoc, the Ministry of Education and the private financial, software and data company was signed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Up to 10 universities will take part and their students will have access to up to 5,000 Bloomberg Market Concepts certifications — an e-learning curriculum that introduces students to global financial markets. These students will also be able to sign up to the UAE's first Bloomberg Trading Challenge. The challenge, created by Bloomberg, aims to help students develop their skills in financial data analytics. Up to 200 Bloomberg Terminals will be installed at UAE universities, where students can learn how to analyse real-time financial market data, analytics, news and trading tools. “We are working with different partners to empower youth in all areas to align their skills with the changing requirements of the labour market and jobs of the future," said Dr Ahmad Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Adnoc Group chief executive, said the programme would “ensure our nation’s workforce remains at the forefront of the financial and commodity trading sectors.” Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP said financial education was essential to a country’s economic development. "By equipping the next generation of UAE leaders with financial expertise, we hope this initiative will empower youth across the Emirates to lead the country’s future growth," he said.