Keolis MHI, operator of the Dubai Metro and Tram, has completed its 2026 Summer Internship Programme, giving 34 children of employees a firsthand introduction to urban rail operations. The two-week initiative combined workplace exposure, safety training, technical learning and mentoring across separate programs for teenagers and young adults, highlighting how employers can use family-oriented internships to introduce future talent to transport careers.
For employers in transportation, engineering and technology, developing the next generation of talent starts well before university graduation.
Keolis MHI’s 2026 Summer Internship Programme offers an example of that approach, bringing 34 family members of employees into the company’s operations for a two-week program held from August 3 to August 14.
The initiative was structured around two age-specific pathways: Next Generation Rail Leaders for participants aged 16 to 20 and Metro Explorers for those aged 12 to 15.
Rather than treating the program as a conventional summer internship, Keolis MHI designed the experience around exposure to the people, systems and operational environments behind a large urban transit network.
The program also aligned with the UAE’s national Year of Family initiative, placing employee families and community engagement alongside early-career development.
Bringing Young People Inside Rail Operations
The Next Generation Rail Leaders pathway provided older participants with a more detailed introduction to urban transit operations and management.
The two-week curriculum combined guided visits, workshops and exposure to operational and technical activities. Participants also visited the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Al Jaddaf as part of the program’s cultural component.
The program concluded with a collaborative poster-making exercise, giving participants an opportunity to translate what they had learned into a visual representation of railway concepts.
For an employer, that kind of exposure can serve a dual purpose: giving young people a realistic view of potential careers while allowing them to interact with professionals working in the industry.
Safety Becomes the Starting Point for Younger Participants
The Metro Explorers track was designed for participants between 12 and 15 and took a more foundational approach.
The program began at the Rashidiya Depot with an induction covering Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) standards, security awareness and social media protocols.
Participants were introduced to the operational expectations of a major transit environment before moving into guided theory sessions and site visits.
They received temporary identification, met members of the Learning & Development leadership team and gained an introduction to safety and risk management across the network.
That structure is notable because safety is not an optional add-on in rail operations. Introducing younger participants to that culture at the beginning of their exposure provides a more realistic understanding of the discipline required to work in transport.
Behind-the-Scenes Access Connects Education With Industry
Across the program, participants received access to areas that are normally invisible to passengers.
Visits to control centers and maintenance workshops gave them a view of how trains and supporting infrastructure are managed beyond the station environment.
The experience also connected classroom-style learning with physical infrastructure.
Participants explored operational assets through theory sessions and onsite visits before completing poster projects focused on key railway concepts.
For the transport sector, this kind of experiential learning can be particularly valuable because many career paths—including engineering, operations, safety, technology and asset management—are difficult to understand fully from a conventional classroom.
Family Engagement Becomes Part of Employer Strategy
Keolis MHI’s program also illustrates how family engagement can become part of a company’s broader employee experience strategy.
The company employs more than 3,000 people, according to Managing Director Vikas Sardana, who described employees not only through their professional roles but also through their relationships within their families and communities.
Inviting employees’ children into the workplace gives families greater visibility into what those employees do every day.
It can also strengthen the connection between an employer and its workforce by acknowledging that employment affects family life as well as the individual employee.
For HR leaders, that makes family-focused initiatives relevant beyond employer branding. They can contribute to engagement, belonging and long-term workforce relationships when designed around meaningful experiences rather than purely promotional activities.
Building a Transport Talent Pipeline Earlier
The program’s career-development dimension may be its most significant long-term feature.
The transport industry requires a diverse range of skills, from engineering and maintenance to operations, safety, digital systems and management.
Introducing young people to those careers before they choose higher-education pathways can make less visible professions more tangible.
That is particularly important as transportation systems become increasingly technology-driven.
Modern metro networks rely on sophisticated control systems, data, communications infrastructure, automation and predictive maintenance alongside traditional engineering and operations expertise.
A young participant entering a control center or maintenance workshop therefore encounters more than trains and stations. They see a technology-enabled operating environment and the range of professional roles needed to keep it running.
Experiential Learning Is Becoming a Workforce Tool
Keolis MHI’s internship program points to a broader shift in how organizations approach early talent.
Career exposure is increasingly moving beyond presentations and classroom sessions toward hands-on learning, workplace immersion and mentorship.
For employers, these programs can help young people understand potential career paths while developing familiarity with the organization and its culture.
For participants, the benefit is a clearer picture of what different roles actually involve before making education and career decisions.
The program concluded with a graduation ceremony and certificates of achievement for participants, formally recognizing their completion of the curriculum.
While a two-week program cannot by itself create a future workforce, initiatives like this can influence awareness and career interest at an earlier stage.
For an industry such as urban transportation—where technical expertise, operational discipline and long-term workforce planning are closely connected—that early exposure can become an important part of the talent pipeline.
Market Landscape
The future-of-work implications of employer-led youth programs include:
- Early talent development: Introducing students to industries before they enter higher education or the workforce.
- Experiential learning: Combining classroom instruction with workplace visits, mentoring and practical activities.
- STEM career awareness: Demonstrating opportunities in engineering, technology, operations and infrastructure.
- Employer-family engagement: Bringing employees’ families into workplace experiences to strengthen connection and belonging.
- Workforce pipeline development: Building awareness of specialized industries that may face future skills shortages.
- Employer branding: Giving prospective future employees an authentic view of organizational culture and career opportunities.
Transport employers increasingly need talent across engineering, digital systems, automation, data analytics, cybersecurity, operations and infrastructure management. That broadening skills mix makes early exposure programs relevant to both HR and workforce-planning strategies.
Top Insights
- Keolis MHI hosted 34 young participants, giving employees’ family members structured exposure to Dubai’s metro and tram operations.
- Two age-specific learning tracks combined safety, technical education, workplace visits, cultural activities and collaborative projects.
- Behind-the-scenes access to control centers and maintenance workshops helped participants connect theoretical learning with real transport infrastructure.
- The program links family engagement with talent development, allowing employees’ children to better understand both their parents’ work and potential careers.
- Early industry exposure can support future talent pipelines, particularly in transportation, engineering and technology fields requiring specialized skills.
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