Dubai, UAE; April 16, 2014: Canon Middle East, a leader in imaging solutions, is training young Emiratis for the 2014 Emirates Skills Competition taking place from April 14 - 16 at the ADNEC Exhibition Center.

In collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute (ADVETI) and Secondary Technical Schools, representatives of Canon and the companys partner National Stores trained four groups of students on the features of the EOS5DMKIII camera during March.

These students will showcase their skills during the Have-a-Go competition of the Emirates Skills exhibition at a Canon booth provided by ADVETI. The booth will be equipped with EOS 5DMIII and EOS 1100D cameras and Selphy printers. The student will photograph the guests at the booth, thus presenting an opportunity for them to highlight their newly acquired competencies.

The annual Emirates Skills Competition was launched in 2006 and encourages young men and women to compete in technical and vocational skills categories, with the contests evaluated by a committee of internationally accredited experts. The event aims to promote excellence in workmanship in the UAE and encourage Emirati youth to participate in skills competitions at the national, regional and international level. This year the competition has 600 participants who will demonstrate their aptitude across 24 various skills.

Anurag Agrawal, Canon Middle East Managing Director, said: The most valuable national asset to the UAE is its youth. At Canon, we want to help prepare the Emirati workforce with technological skills, and in turn contribute to nations competitiveness and achieve its Vision 2021 to be among the best countries in the world. Canon is committed to giving back to the communities where we live and work, while helping to achieve national development targets.

Emirates Skills is a program under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Center for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET). Its activities are focused on raising awareness of career-based technical and vocational education among young Emiratis by organizing competitions, events, training programmes and vocational activities. The annual competition for UAE nationals prepares them for the bi-annual World Skill Competition to be hosted by the UAE in 2017.

Canon Middle East promotes education and training as part of it commitment to incorporating corporate social responsibility across all elements of the business.

For further details on Canon Middle East, global operations, products and services visit www.canon-me.com.