KPMG’s internship program in Bahrain hits a milestone
KPMG’s Hussain Kasim Internship Program has hit a milestone, having recently broken through the mark of sixty interns welcomed this year.
The internship program, named in honour of Hussain Kasim, the co-founder of KPMG in Bahrain (which was founded in 1968 by the university friends Jassim Fakhro and Hussain Kasim), was established to provide internship opportunities for Bahraini students from leading universities in Bahrain and internationally.
The program helps selected students – between 50 – 80 students are admitted per year – gain valuable work experience while also providing them with the opportunity to learn in one of the fields KPMG operates in – audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services.
In 2021, the Hussain Kasim Internship Program has to date onboarded 61 interns, meaning that KPMG is well underway to end the year at the upper end of its recruitment band for the program. In comparison, last year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact, the Big Four firm offered 48 students an internship position.
A large share of interns typically stay on with KPMG to kickstart their career. Of the 2021 class, 31% have so far been offered full time positions with KPMG in Bahrain post the successful completion of their internship. This number is expected to pick in the coming months. In the 2020 class, around half of all interns were offered a fixed contract.
Meanwhile, fellow co-founder Jassim Fakhro also has a program named after himself – the Jassim Fakhro Professional Development Fund program supports local talent working at KPMG in Bahrain with completing their professional accreditation in their respective fields. Over the past two decades, over $2 million barrier has been ploughed into the program, supporting over 170 Bahraini professionals with their professional development.