Tamkeen, Bahrain's labour fund, said the skills gap study in Bahrain's labour market has been completed and it was now looking at ways to fill these gaps.

The study encompassed economic modeling and survey work that has been conducted for Tamkeen by economic and policy consulting firm, The Allen Consulting Group.

The study has identified skills gaps in the industry, health, hospitality and tourism, logistical transportation, education trade, information technology, telecommunications, finance, petrochemical, public administration, and services sectors.

The consultants have canvassed a wide range of views across a large number of sectors of Bahraini industries, together with views of trade unions, education institutions, NGOs, government establishments, and other stakeholders.

They have also with local partner Ernst and Young Bahrain – surveyed businesses, employees, education institutions and new graduates to provide more detailed data on the skills gaps they anticipate in the next five years.

Tamkeen CEO Abdulellah Al-Qassimi said the study was expected to provide a wealth of data and information to assist Tamkeen in identifying and validating projected skill gaps across the economy in order to support and reinforce the strategic alignment of Tamkeen’s programmes with the needs and requirements of the private sector.'

'As the first study of its kind in the region, we are looking forward to utilising the final analysis to enhance the strategic reach of our human capital development programmes and effectively support the prosperous growth and development of the national work force.'

'The study will also prove beneficial for various educational establishments and economic sectors,' he noted.

The study has identified a need to foster foundational skills as well as sector-specific training specifically in management, literacy, communications, customer relations in addition to the allocation of funding between sector specific and foundational skills development.

Allen Consulting Group director Professor Stephen Bartos said this study was a ground-breaking exercise that would put the Kingdom of Bahrain at the forefront of the region in its efforts to build a skilled economy.

'No country can invest in all possible skills at the same time. That is why a good information base on which to base decisions is so important – it helps ensure that the most important gaps can be dealt with as a priority, and that the overall needs of the nation are met in a strategic way,' he noted.-TradeArabia News Service