Hundreds of job-seekers in Manama, Bahrain stand to benefit from a new training scheme being launched next week.

The Unemployment Training and Development Programme is a joint initiative by the Capital Governorate and Labour Ministry, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It starts on September 14 with a four-day training programme for the first batch of 50 unemployed Bahrainis, Capital Governorate strategic planning and projects management head Yusuf Lori told the GDN.

“This idea came up after a meeting with the Labour Minister and the Capital Governor in July,” he said.

“It aims to train job-seekers in Manama, with the help of Batelco, SMEs Bahrain and Standard Chartered.

“Each of them will train them in a different field, customised according to the needs of these unemployed.

“We also have a strong focus on entrepreneurship to allow them to understand what they could be achieving.

“On the last day, we'll also hold a career fair where there will be a strong possibility for them to get a job.

“We're starting the pilot programme with 50 people, but we aim to cover all the unemployed in the Capital Governorate, around 800 people.”

He said the pilot programme was needed to ensure the right formula was being followed.

“We're going to study it to know what kind of skills is needed,” he said.

“We need to know the real gap between what the market needs and the unemployed and make sure that the government's efforts bridge these gaps.

“We especially have to meet the needs of the private sector, which is why our partners are important.

“I expect the next phase will take place in a month or two with a bigger sample of people, between 150 and 200, and will last longer.”

Standard Chartered corporate affairs head Noora Al Nusuf told the GDN the bank hoped to provide participants with a good financial education.

“We believe we're uniquely positioned to help share skills that we offer customers already,” she said.

“We want to extend that beyond our clients, as we've found through studies that many people in the community lack financial education.

“This stops possible achievements they could accomplish.

“Our Financial Education Programme has two parts, one for schools and universities, the other for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs.

“With enough knowledge, they can create their own businesses if that's something they want.

“We'll focus on how to start a business, budgeting, managing cash flow and reviewing accounts.

“A bilingual Bahrain team will present the ideas to best appeal to the attendants.”

However, she said she expected people to come back for more information.

“It won't end there, that's the most important thing,” Al Nusuf said.

“They need to come back to seek more information, get in touch and get involved.

“Bahrain's main natural resource is human capital, so we need to invest in that.”

SMEs Bahrain board member and community services director Abdulrahim Fakhro said educating the public on options available to them was important.

Interaction

“We want to see more interaction between employees and employers, not just have people depend on the government,” he said.

“We have 18,000 graduates every year in Bahrain.

“How many can the government take at the same time?

“They need training beforehand, so NGOs have to help.

“It will also be good for the economy, when we take someone and turn them from someone who needs to be employed to a business owner who will be employing people.

“Our training will be about the facilities available in Bahrain, information on start-ups and mentoring.” - TradeArabia News Service