Tamkeen, Bahrain’s labour fund, has launched three new programmes worth BD4.8 million ($12.73 million) as part of its Employment - Training Initiative scheme, which aims to develop Bahrainis to meet labour market demands.

Tamkeen has signed an agreement with the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), Bahrain International Retail Development Centre (BIRD), and Ernst & Young to launch the new programmes.

The new initiatives, the Finance and Accounting, Warehouse Management, and Marketing Professionals programmes, will be run by Tamkeen in partnership with Ernst & Young, BIRD and BIBF respectively.

A total of 400 business-related university graduates; 150 secondary graduates and diploma holders, and 400 business-related and marketing graduates will be employed and trained under the Finance and Accounting, Warehouse Management, and Marketing Professionals programmes respectively.

The programmes will be conducted to the highest international quality standards and trainees will receive internationally recognised certification upon completion, a stateemnt said.

Trainees will also each receive wage subsidies over a period of 12 months during the training period.

Tamkeen’s chief executive Mahmood Hashem Al-Kooheji said: “We are continuously seeking ways in which to train, develop, and empower Bahraini individuals by offering innovative training programmes that meet current and future labour market needs. We have developed these programmes bearing in mind that these sectors are viable sources of value-added employment and training opportunities for Bahrainis.”

“This is just one of our many initiatives that will help bring us one step closer towards reaching our vision of empowering Bahrainis to prosper and contribute to the national economy. I am confident that we will be able to achieve this goal in cooperation with our partners,” he concluded.

The programmes are set to commence in the first quarter of 2012 and will each offer a total of three months class room workshops followed by an additional three months of on the job training. – TradeArabia News Service