Bahrain's Tamkeen (Labour Fund) has launched a distinctive programme to meet the need for IT professionals at different levels in the kingdom.

The BD1,173,725 contract signed with the Bahrain Training Institute (BTI) will benefit 220 Bahraini trainees over five years and enable them to take their place in the IT industry as professionals with bright career prospects, said a statement.

“This programme has been designed on the basis of the findings of a series of discussions with the Bahrain Internet Society and other professional entities and subject-matter experts in the IT sector which revealed a growing gap in the availability of trained Bahraini IT professionals,” explained Tamkeen’s chief executive Abdulellah Al Qassimi.

“Since our Skills Gaps initiative works to address precisely such issues - fill skills shortages and bridge skills gaps in defined professions – this project fits the goal admirably.”

He added: “The IT Skills Programme will provide employers in the sector with skilled Bahraini manpower needed to run their business and provide young Bahrainis with promising job opportunities that can blossom into excellent careers rooted in the knowledge industry that we are trying to build in Bahrain.”

The programme offers two streams, one for secondary school graduates and the other targeting university graduates with BSc in Computer Science / Engineering or IT related areas, explained the director-general of BTI Hameed Saleh.

“We have four programmes running under this project,” he said. “The 16-months Cisco Certified Security Professional Track and the 12-months Master CIW Website Manager are programmes that university graduates will be accepted into. The 3 ½ years  BTI Professional Diploma in Computing Studies which includes the Cisco Certified Security Professional Track and the 3 years BTI Professional Diploma in Computing Studies (Web-page Development Specialists) + Master CIW Website Manager are open to school graduates.”

Applications are accepted from school graduates with secondary school certificates with a Science stream GPA of 75% minimum  or a Commerce / Technical  stream GPA of 80 per cent minimum, he explained.

University graduates will be expected to have a BSc degree in computer science or computer engineering with a GPA of 2.5 out of 4. Those with BSc degrees in IT related fields will be expected to have at least one year’s related work experience while those with a BSc in subjects not related to IT will be expected to have at least 2 years work experience directly in the field of networking / web-development.

Applicants will also need to satisfactorily pass the BTI’s entrance test and interview.

The training programmes will commence in September 2009 at the BTI premises in Isa Town.

“This project assures Bahrainis of world-class training for careers in IT and enables them to take their place in the regional workplace,” Tamkeen’s Al Qassimi observed. “To begin with, it gives them a very stable foothold in the IT sector with career openings as IT security professionals and web-designers with a minimum starting salary of BD 400. Since Tamkeen will continue to offer them opportunities to ‘top up’ their training, these Bahrainis can truly contribute to the Kingdom’s future growth. All that is required is their dedication and passion for excellence.” - TradeArabia News Service