By SOMAN BABY
INCREASED labour fees which come into force next month, will be given back to employers in the form of trained Bahrainis, a top businessman said last night. The money will be used to provide professional world-class training to Bahrainis, said Sharif Ahmadi, who is also the vice-chairman of the Labour Fund.
“It will change their work attitudes, create new careers and aspirations that will empower people,” he told a gathering of nearly 1,000 trainees and training providers at the Gulf Hotel’s Gulf International Convention Centre last night.
“The fund, over the past 12 months, has been able to plan and put forward inve-stments worth more than BD28 million spread over the next four years, to train over 11,000 Bahraini nationals.
“The fund will give these young men and women internationally-certified and professional subsidised training opportunities that will change their lives.”
It is important for businessmen to invest heavily in the training of Bahrainis, said Mr Ahmadi, a board member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and chairman of its industries committee.
“We cannot depend on expatriates forever. We shall find it extremely difficult in future to get qualified and experienced expatriates from Asian countries, which are experiencing an economic boom,” he warned.
“Before it is too late, we have to train our own people. National companies like Bapco and Alba have already proved that trained Bahrainis can run companies and establishments efficiently.”
The Labour Fund Human Capital Development (HCD) initiatives and projects have been designed to address challenges in the labour market and improve the employability and careers of Bahrainis in the private sector, said Mr Ahmadi.
“Our vision is to transform citizens into employees of choice,” he told the gathering.
It was attended by nearly 1,000 people, including hundreds of young Bahrainis who are attending various training programmes initiated by the fund.
The function brought together the trainees and training providers involved in the HCD programme.
Labour Fund chief executive Abdulellah Al Qassimi and other officials were present at the celebration, held “to give the participants a sense of the breadth and vision of the project”.
“One of the most ambitious projects is to re-engineer the workplace of the future and meet the aspirations of Bahrainis,” said Mr Ahmadi.
Bahrainis are being trained for high-end salary jobs under the project.
The areas of training include: aeronautical engineering, health care, hospitality and catering, accounts and finance, human resources and administration, computer engineering, retail sectors, leadership programme, and IT and call centre.
“The portfolio of the HCD investments includes numerous projects under Skills Gaps Training, Career Progression Pro-gramme, Talent Management Programme, as well as initiatives based on market needs,” said Mr Ahmadi
He said the HCD programme was not a random selection of career paths, but a carefully calibrated restructuring of the position of Bahrainis in the workplace of the future.
It is supported by scientific analysis and data about the Bahraini workplace.
“To gather the data needed to map out our future strategies, the fund has commissioned one of the most comprehensive Skills Gaps studies ever undertaken, of the jobs market in Bahrain,” said Mr Ahmadi.
“We believe that this will identify future areas of growth, employment potential and above all, highlight the kingdom’s economic development in the years ahead, so that we can arm our people with the qualifications to be ready to seize the opportunity when it knocks on their doors.”
The HCD programmes, ranging from six months to four years, are designed to develop identified skills in certain sectors so Bahrainis can fill the void, said Mr Ahmadi.
The fund also actively supports various private sector organisations with every kind of resource, from financing to training, technology upgrades and management and business improvement workshops.
“Bahrain is enjoying a high degree of stability and peace, thanks to the wise leadership,” said Mr Ahmadi.
“We urge HCD participants and employers to work towards translating this golden opportunity into a high level of prosperity for themselves and for the country.
“The fund will stand by Bahrainis to plan, prepare and execute the blueprint of our joint bright future.”
The focus of the HCD is to achieve the following objectives:
* Increase Bahrainisation in sectors dominated by expatriates
* Increase wages of existing Bahraini employees
* Advance labour market systems
“We are together in this exciting journey into a dynamic and promising future,” said Mr Ahmadi. “It is a future of opportunities – to use a phrase very apt for Bahrain with its history of being the centre of the pearling trade – a future where the world will be our oyster.
“Let us work towards realising the dreams of our leaders and making our kingdom a shining star in the progress of the world.”