Bahrain labour fund Tamkeen said it has signed an agreement with King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) to train and employ 92 Bahraini nationals in a wide range of healthcare disciplines.

The leading initiative was conceived to create employment opportunities for Bahrainis in this emerging field, and taps the skills gap in this vital sector, said Tamkeen's chief executive
Mahmood Hashem Al Kooheji at the signing ceremony in the presence of KHUH director Brigadier Shaikh Dr. Salman Bin Atteyatallah Al Khalifa.

The contract, whereby Tamkeen contributes nearly BD1.47 million ($3.89 million), will be rolled out over a five-year period, with training split into three and four year periods depending on the desired specialty and degree.

Eligible candidates for the grant are Bahraini nationals, high school graduates with an accumulative score of 80 per cent and above, he said.
 
"This agreement is at the core of Tamkeen's strategy which aims to strengthen the private sector and create opportunities for Bahrainis, “noted Al Kooheji.

“One of the basic means we have outlined to achieve this objective is investing in the development and skilling of our national human capital through the provision of world-class training,” he remarked.

Al-Kooheji pointed out that the healthcare sector was amongst the sectors Tamkeen had identified as an area of focus through various studies of the labour market.

“These studies have shown that there is a lot of growth potential for this sector in Bahrain which makes it a sustainable source of employment for Bahrainis in the years to come,” he noted.

The training will be provided by the College of Health Sciences and the Royal College for Surgeons in Ireland, Medical University of Bahrain for specialties available in Bahrain such as Bachelors in Nursing, Laboratory Sciences Diploma, Radiology Diploma, and Pharmacology Diploma.

Students for specialties currently unavailable in Bahrain will be sent abroad.

Tamkeen has signed a similar agreement with KHUH in September 2011 to train and employ 117 Bahraini students as healthcare assistants.-TradeArabia News Service