Amani Ramadhan: Developing Young Engineers' Skills

Many employers are looking for candidates who can demonstrate determination, a willingness to learn, and a fearless approach to new situations.

In terms of her life and career trajectory, Amani Ramadhan exemplifies these traits better than anyone else. As an undergraduate and graduate student, she earned her degrees under challenging circumstances, and, when given the opportunity, made dramatic career changes more than once.

She currently manages the training cell for GE Kuwait Technology Center (GEKTC), where she oversees training, tooling, and research & development (R&D).  Amani's role at the facility involves coordinating all training programs, which she helped define.

Training is provided in areas such as servicing and repairing gas turbines, steam turbines, generators, and many other aspects of power generation by the training cell.

When her father completed his studies in the U.S., Amani's family returned to Kuwait with her when she was six years old.

One of her first bold moves was to ask her parents to let her stay with her godmother in Los Angeles while she finished high school in the United States.

By the time she was 21, she was married, had her first child, and separated from her husband. She then began to earn college credits while working part time as a single mother.

During the next few years, she earned both an undergraduate degree in Accounting and a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice while working part-time.

Ramadhan recalls that time as the hardest of his life. As I was raising my daughter while attending school and working part-time, my family was far away in Kuwait. Despite that, I knew the value of a college degree and was passionate about finishing it."

Following graduation, she worked for several years as an auditor and accountant in New Mexico. She was hired as the executive assistant to the Kuwaiti consulate in Los Angeles after an impressive appointment at the Kuwaiti consulate in Los Angeles.

In spite of the fact that consular work was an entirely new area for Ramadhan, she accepted the position and spent six years there. At the age of 16, she settled back in Kuwait.

As a result of her years spent at the consulate, she first joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, after GEKTC approached her, although she had never worked in the private sector before, she jumped at the chance.

As Lead Education Specialist for GEKTC, I was eager to accept the job since I felt there was more opportunity for growth in the private sector.

Currently 38 years old, Ramadhan was excited about the opportunity to work at a facility that was in growth mode. GEKTC was a new facility at the time. We were in the process of expanding our training services and making sure that the public was aware of what we could offer. My team and I have been helping train professionals from Bangladesh to Algeria in the field of energy," she said.

Ramadhan is especially passionate about mentoring and speaking to young Kuwaitis because of the hard work she put into obtaining her own education.

My favorite thing about teaching high school students is sharing my experience working in the private sector, career paths, and how to persevere in the face of challenges. Even when life is difficult, there are usually days of light that follow dark ones. To reach the light at the end of the tunnel, you have to keep going through the difficult times," said Ramadhan.

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