Consultation to revamp Tamkeen training underway
Manama, April 1, 2014
A two-day consultation is underway which marks the start of a massive restructuring process that will change the way one of Bahrain's leading training providers will operate.
Tamkeen has invited business leaders and people already involved in its programmes to contribute their views and ideas during an event that concludes at the Gulf Hotel today (April 1), said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
The feedback will then form the basis of Tamkeen's 2015-17 three-year strategy, a draft of which will be completed by September.
While some programmes are set to be terminated many others will be redeveloped with more of a focus on quality rather than quantity.
However, flagship programmes are set to stay and Tamkeen hopes to continue to reach out to a full spectrum of people, including job-seekers, university graduates and entrepreneurs.
"We want to increase our interaction with the public and this consultation is the first of regular quarterly meetings we will have with the public throughout the year," said Tamkeen chairman and acting chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa.
"Tamkeen has to be responsive to the needs of the private sector and individuals, and today our primary aim is to listen to what people have to say.
"We are going to look at redesigning some of our programmes, maybe ones where the impact is not what it should be and we will be looking at programmes where areas of concern or various issues have been raised.
"It felt like the right time to have a review and make sure we are doing the right programmes and providing the right support for the private sector, which is a constantly changing area."
Tamkeen's three main objectives are to enhance the quality of its programmes, be more results orientated and to focus more on customer service.
Officials also hope to cut down on the amount of time it takes to get on a programme after applying.
The organisation, whose main source of funding comes from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) fees, will open two new customer service centres in the next few weeks, one in Sitra Mall and one in Riffa, with a further two, one in Muharraq and one in Hamad Town, later in the year.
Centres are also planned for Isa Town and Budaiya next year.
Tamkeen's expenditure this year is estimated to be around BD86 million ($225.7 million), the highest amount to be spent in any one year since it began operating in 2006. In 2013, it was BD79 million.
The anticipated revenue from LMRA fees this year is around BD72 million. BD60 million, 70 per cent of that, will go towards Tamkeen's projects and programmes.
Another BD17.5 million, 20 per cent, will go towards paying a proportion of the unemployment insurance paid by every employer in the private sector and the remaining BD9 million to cover Tamkeen's operational costs.
From 2011 to 2013 its revenue dropped dramatically from around BD76 million to BD29 million after a Royal Decree was issued increasing the government's share of the LMRA fees from 20 per cent to 50 per cent.
However, thanks to a revenue surplus Tamkeen was able to sustain its operations. Its 80 per cent share of fees was reinstated last December. - TradeArabia News Service
