Tamkeen, Bahrain’s top human capital development drive, and the Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA), a subsidiary of investment arm Mumtalakat, have signed an agreement towards training and placement of 65 Bahraini pilots.

Tamkeen will cover the total cost of tuition fees of up to BD490,000 ($1.3 million) equally with the trainees, a statement said.

The agreement comes within the package of training programmes stated in the signed MoU between the two parties during Bahrain International Air show in January 2010, according to the statement.

The agreement also states to employ the trainees after successful completion of their training programme in a number of international airlines.

Gulf Aviation Academy is a pioneering initiative and a valuable part of Bahrain’s aviation industry. As shareholders and investors, we see GAA as an essential part of our strategy to grow and diversify Bahrain’s economy and back initiatives to create high value jobs.” said Talal Al Zain, CEO of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding.

“This partnership with Tamkeen will ensure that more Bahrainis receive the skills and training they deserve. It is an initiative we should all be proud of,” he added.

Dr Ahmed Abdul Ghani Al-Shaikh, Tamkeen's vice president for enterprises and human capital development, said: “Tamkeen will equally share the training cost with the trainees, where the total cost per trainee will amount to BD15,080, whereby Tamkeen pays BD7,540 of the total cost while the trainee will bear the remainder.”

He added that the programme comes to fill one of the local and regional market gaps, especially with the increasing demand by airline companies for skilled labour in these advanced technical specialisations.

He explained that the programme, which will last for 8 weeks, targets securing employment for junior pilots who currently have no Aircraft type rating, with airlines in the Gulf region.

Tim Shattock, CEO of GAA, emphasised the importance of the fertile cooperation with Tamkeen in qualifying and training Bahraini pilots to be the employees of choice in this field at the local and regional levels.

He pointed out the significance of this training in meeting the ongoing needs and the increasing demand for these specialisations, especially with the growth of the aviation industry in the Mena region.

Mahmood Al Balooshi, chief operations officer at GAA, said that the academy has the state of the art theoretical and practical training means.

“We hope that the agreement with Tamkeen would pave the way to further cooperation, as we are confident that the Bahraini pilots will be a source for meeting current needs in this sector in various Gulf countries,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service