Bahrain's labour fund Tamkeen said it is currently finalising plans to roll out its new programme aimed at empowering women economically.

The plan will dovetail with Tamkeen’s existing projects and Supreme Council for Women initiatives, while also taking into consideration the issues raised at the National Dialogue about women’s empowerment.

The plans include tailored training programmes to promote entrepreneurship amongst women, as well as furthering the empowerment of working female employees and job seekers, said a statement from Tamkeen.

Special focus will be given to mechanisms for empowerment, self-reliance, entrepreneurship, and career advancement, in addition to skills and competencies improvement, it stated.

“Empowering Bahraini women has been a top priority for us since we began operations, in line with the push by our esteemed government to increase women’s economic contribution as outlined in Economic Vision 2030,” said Tamkeen chief executive Mahmood Al Kooheji.

'Tamkeen’s Women Empowerment Committee was formed to specifically oversee all planning and co-ordinative efforts, as well as recommending the measures and initiatives required to achieve this goal,' he noted.

These efforts, he said, have resulted in the launch of more than 80 training and financing programmes that have benefited over 15,000 women, including a BD1 million ($2.65 million) portfolio to facilitate micro-financing for women.

Enabling the improvement of women both professionally and skills-wise through these collective programmes has also resulted in a direct positive shift in the way Bahraini women perceive the workplace.

Al-Kooheji said being awarded the coveted HRH Princess Sabeeka Award for Women’s Empowerment in 2009 was the ultimate validation of Tamkeen’s efforts in this regard.

'Tamkeen will continue to develop innovative initiatives which support all Bahraini women - whether business owners, employees, or job seekers - and encourage them to take their rightful place as essential contributors to prosperity across all economic sectors,' he added.

Tamkeen’s Women Empowerment Committee is currently soliciting input from a wide circle of stakeholders – including decision makers, government agencies, NGOs, and leading companies - to better understand current and future labour market needs.

In tandem, special surveys will also be conducted specifically targeting for categories of women: entrepreneurs, employees, those working from home and job seekers. These surveys are expected to be completed by month end.-TradeArabia News Service