Bahrain labour fund Tamkeen has signed agreements with Bahrain Cinema Company (Cineco) and Six Pence Corporate Solutions to train 236 Bahrainis employed at the two companies as part of its career progression programme.

The signings are the latest under Tamkeen's career progression programme, which seeks to enhance the capabilities and skills of Bahrainis to make them employees of choice in the private sector.

The training courses have been designed based on specific skills gaps determined by the employers and include such aspects as administration, sales, logistics, and technical support.

The aim of the exercise is to enhance the efficiency of employees and enable them to take on more senior roles in their organisations, as well as improve the performance of the enterprises in which they work.

As many as 86 employees from Cineco and 150 from Six Pence are expected to benefit from the programme.

In addition to the training, beneficiaries receive a wage increase ranging from BD50 to BD100 ($132 to $264) on their basic salary depending on the training track selected by the employer.

The wage increase is subsidised by Tamkeen for a maximum of two years.

"Ever since its launch, demand by employers for the career progression programme has been steadily increasing thanks to its unique approach which features a dual benefit for the employees and enterprise," said Tamkeen's acting vice-president for human capital development Amal Al Kooheji.

Cineco chief executive Ahmed Abdulrahman Rashed said by enrolling its employees in the programme, the company expects to benefit from world-class training and human capital development.

"Tamkeen provides the private sector with diverse and comprehensive products that develop Bahrain's human capital and enterprises," Six Pence Group managing director Ahmed Al Basry said.

"We thank Tamkeen for such productive and creative initiatives that greatly benefit the private sector," he added.

Launched in 2007, the career progression programme has served more than 12,000 Bahraini beneficiaries to date from 482 companies across all sectors, with a total Tamkeen contribution of about BD23 million.

According to Tamkeen's 2013 operational plan, the programme is set to serve an additional 20,000 Bahrainis.-TradeArabia News Service