APM Terminals Bahrain, the operator of the Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP) in Bahrain, has continued its collaboration with Bahrain Polytechnic for the third year by recruiting 13 of its students for various port operations including planning, technical, HR, marine services and safety.

APM Terminals Bahrain is working towards driving its future growth by developing the country’s maritime workforce, with transport and logistics being among the key strategic growth sectors for the kingdom.  

As the operator of KBSP, APM Terminals Bahrain employs approximately 500 people in a wide range of maritime and logistics operations and relies heavily on skilled talent to meet the future local and regional demands of this sector, said a statement.

With stakeholder partnerships such as Bahrain Polytechnic, the company has taken on the ownership to raise awareness of the maritime industry and the lucrative career opportunities it offers to further attract young Bahraini talent, it said.

Additionally, APM Terminals has been advocating ample career opportunities for women in the maritime sector by integrating their role into mainstream activities, usually considered non-traditional and labour-intensive. In fact, over the past two years, it has facilitated career development opportunities for nine young women, by employing them across various port operations.

Ali Karim Nesaif, one of the young recruits, working in the port’s technical department, said: “Working at the port has been a great on-ground learning experience - it has improved my practical knowledge of technical skills, expanded my engineering background and enhanced my administrative skills.”

“Each day, I learn more from experience and that is a big boost in this dynamic industry,” he said.

Another Bahraini youth, Asma Dhafer Abdulaal, working in the port’s operational department, said: “In my short seven months tenure with APM Terminals, I have had first-hand experience of working across the static planning, general cargo departments and learning more about the port, the diverse work and career opportunities it offers.”

“This has been a vast experience and I am really looking forward to pursuing a career in this industry,” she added.

Mark Hardiman, CEO/managing director of APM Terminals Bahrain, said: “We are really pleased with how our career development initiative has shaped up and most importantly, benefitted so many young Bahraini youths who are smart, enthusiastic and eager to learn.”

“This has played a huge role in raising awareness about the industry from an educational and career perspective as well as building a quality talent pool for the industry,” he said.

“We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of students pursuing their interests especially women, and through our various stakeholder partnerships, we hope to cultivate the local talent to further strengthen Bahrain’s maritime and logistics ecosystem,” he added.

Moreover, as part of its ongoing association with Bahrain Polytechnic, APM Terminals this year, will be welcoming a new batch of 40 students to attend interactive knowledge sessions at the port combined with practical understanding of various port regulations and operations. This educational programme, which is conducted over the course of one year, now in its third season enables students to study first-hand the key aspects of the industry including port operations, supply chains and safety protocols.

As part of the collaboration, APM Terminals senior management team also conduct knowledge sessions on maritime logistics with an overview of port operations for the Bahrain Polytechnic students. So far, 76 Bahrain Polytechnic students have benefitted from this educational collaboration.

As a global player operating 74 operating ports and terminal facilities and over 117 inland services operations spread over 58 countries, APM Terminals continues its commitment in creating a highly skilled and diverse local workforce for the maritime industry, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service