Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain has signed a MoU with Tamkeen (the Labour Fund) to offer 150 Bahraini students a place in the airline’s graduate training program upon successful completion of their degrees.

The MoU, which is the third between the two organizations, was signed by Ismail Karimi, Gulf Air Deputy CEO and Abdulellah Al Qassimi, Tamkeen’s chief executive at the airline’s headquarters in Muharraq.

The 18-month training programme will offer graduates a combination of on-the-job experience, formal training courses (both internal and external), involvement in project work, and rotation between different types of work so they can develop a range of transferrable skills and begin to specialize in their chosen careers.

Al Qassimi said over the past 50 years, Gulf Air has successfully developed leaders within the airline industry.

'We feel honored to be able to offer our graduates the opportunity to begin their careers at such an established company. The MoU reflects our commitment to forge strategic alliances with the top employers in Bahrain,' he noted.

“When entering into an alliance, it is crucial for both partners to share common goals, interests and a mutual vision. Our collaboration with Gulf Air emphasizes the importance both organizations place on education and the need to develop local talent,” Al Qassimi added.

AbdulMonem Al-Shaikh, manager, Human Capital Development at Tamkeen said, 'This is an exceptional opportunity for our young and talented graduates whom we have found academically qualified and ready to be absorbed by a value-adding employer such as Gulf Air.'

'Graduates who will make it this Development Trainee Program will experience various aspects of work in different divisions of Gulf Air through a structured Rotation Mechanism and training programme.'

'This will give them the advantage to identify the areas they can best be developed for and hence be able to be in the field of their choice,' he added.

Commenting on the agreement, Karimi said the agreement reinforces the strength of the partnership between Gulf Air and Tamkeen, who together are committed to provide young Bahrainis every opportunity for career growth and development, paving their way to success.

Ahmed Al Banna, Gulf Air chief people officer said, “The graduates will be given an opportunity to be exposed to the world of work, to improve their knowledge and enhance their skills, which will empower them to make valuable contributions to the development of our country.”

'As one of the largest employers in the Kingdom and a fully-owned Bahraini company, Gulf Air is committed to create career opportunities for as many talented Bahrainis as possible, especially as we are expanding our fleet and network,' he noted.

'This latest initiative is a number of many training programs being run by the airline,' Al Banna added.-TradeArabia News Service