Bahrain's labour fund Tamkeen said the first group of Bahrainis graduates have successfully completed its occupational health & safety (OH&S) programme.

The graduation ceremony of Tamkeen’s training and employment programme in OH&S was held at the Regency Intercontinental in co-operation with Arabian East Training Centre (AETC).

The programme is offered as part of Tamkeen’s initiatives aimed at enhancing the capabilities of Bahrainis and making them employees of choice.

The first group, comprising 50 Bahraini graduates, will get the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) certificate.

Many of the graduates also secured employment opportunities with several leading companies in Bahrain, including Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), Naser Abd Mohammed Company (Namco), Mechanical Contracting & Services Company (MSCS), Midal Cables, Gulf City Cleaning Company, and Cebarco Bahrain.

AETC’s managing director Hassan Ali outlined the different stages of the programme from a training and employment standpoint, as well as highlighting the field of OH&S for Bahrainis as a viable source of employment for the nationals.

Ali said AETC had recently received an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the Quality Assurance Authority for Education & Training (QAAET), the highest rating that training centres can achieve in Bahrain.

In her address, Tamkeen’s acting VP (Human Capital Development) Amal Kooheji said, "The programme was launched in 2008, and seeks to train 300 Bahraini high school graduates and enable them to find employment in the field of OH&S."

"We are immensely proud of our graduates today, and welcome them among the more than 47,000 who have benefited from Tamkeen’s Human Capital Development initiatives as a stepping stone towards contributing to building the future of Bahrain," she added.

Tamkeen currently offers more than 100 Human Capital Development programmes in a wide range of fields and sectors.

The programmes are offered in collaboration with a select group of training institutes to ensure that training is delivered to the highest possible standards, and that Bahrainis are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in the labour market, whether they are students, high school or university graduates, professionals, business owners, or job seekers.

Heba Saleem, a graduate, expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to Tamkeen and AETC for providing them with the opportunity to achieve their potential in becoming qualified professionals in a burgeoning field such as OH & S.

She also commended the companies which participated in providing the on-the-job training and employment opportunities for the students during the programme.

Another successful graduate Ibrahim Jawad said, “I am delighted to have finished my qualification in the Health and Safety field. It is an international accreditation that I am proud to hold. I look forward to working in this field and to apply all the practical and theoretical information that I have received during my studies at the Arab East Training Centre.”

Yusra Bushehri lauded Tamkeen and AETC for helping her to complete the safety and health certification.

“My experience in the Safety and Health fields has opened the door for me for employment. After completing my theoretical and on-job-training at Cebarco, I was hired as a safety officer, in charge of site-safety in addition to the safety and health of the workers, and reducing risk factors as much as possible,” he noted.

At the end of the ceremony, certificates and trophies were awarded to the graduates and the companies who participated in the training & employment of the graduates.

To date, more than 66,000 Bahrainis and enterprises have benefited from Tamkeen’s programmes, with more than 100,000 beneficiaries set to benefit from these programmes in all.-TradeArabia News Service