BBKBBK

At a signing ceremony that took place on Wednesday, 16^th April, the Labour Fund's Acting Chief Executive Abdulellah Al Qassimi and and the Acting General Manager of BBKBBK AbdulKarim Bucheery, flagged off the LF-endorsed BD 160,000 project which will help 100 Bahrainis with a 2-year technical or academic diploma get fast-track retail banking training. This training will make them eligible to find employment in BBKBBK's rapidly-growing Retail Banking operations.

"We are open to exploring means of addressing employers requirements and tapping into resources that will enable both employers and employees get the best out of each other," said LF's Acting Chief Executive, Abdulellah Al Qassimi.

"When we started talks with BBKBBK to offer our support in training 100 Bahrainis for entry level jobs in its Retail Banking operations, we were happy to work jointly with them to fund the training as well as provide assistance in implementing such a programme", he added.

BBKBBK will outsource the skill provision and training of the 100 beneficiaries to Capital Knowledge (CK), a training institute specialised in finance and banking education. The students will work in batches of 20 on a carefully-structured 8-week course that will comprehensively cover all the features of modern retail banking and even include practical laboratory settings to familiarise them with retail banking operations. The training of the 100 Bahrainis will be spread over 3 years.

"We are pleased to work closely with the Labour Fund on the expansion of our robust and sophisticated Retail Banking operations", said Abdulkarim Bucheery, BBKBBK Acting General Manager "Our expansion plans will continue to be built on the availability of trained and capable Bahrainis. LF's involvement in this project will not only provide financial support but new and more innovative ideas and resources to train our staff base."

Mr Bucheery also mentioned that candidates, will be awarded a monthly stipend of BD 200 by BBKBBK during the programme. They will also be offered the opportunity to start a rewarding career in the banking sector within BBKBBK once they complete the training programme successfully. Besides other benefits of working in such a reputed Bank, successful trainees will be offered a monthly salary in line with the market standard which begins at BD 400 monthly salary.

Said Khalil Nooruddin, Managing Partner of Capital Knowledge, "We are delighted that Capital Knowledge is partnering with the Labour Fund and BBKBBK to facilitate quality entry level employment for young Bahraini talent. The training programme balances theoretical with practical training and provide all the necessary skills whether technical, professional conduct or soft skills that the selected candidates need in order to succeed in their chosen careers with BBKBBK. This programme is an example of many training tracks that fresh graduates can persue at Capital Knowledge to start, what we hope would be, a highly rewarding careers at the financial services industry in Bahrain".

Dr Ahmed Abdul Ghani Al Shaikh, Vice President Human Capital Development, reiterated that the Labour Fund's objective of making Bahrainis the employees of choice. He said that the LF is keen to assist more Bahrainis to take advantage of the 21^st century requirements of the Kingdom's banking sector that has seen great expansion with new banks, Islamic banking and new global centres such as the Bahrain Financial Harbour.

"Jobs in the banking sector are sought-after because of the clear career advancement they offer and the rich financial rewards. This project will put Bahrainis in a better position through training to take advantage of these new job openings," he said, "With the right training solutions and the willingness of private sector companies to ally with the Labour Fund cause, Bahrainis can look forward to truly rewarding job opportunities in excellent work environments. Our doors are open to other banking firms and companies in other sectors who wish to engage in similar projects in alignment with our objectives."

Dr Ahmed Al Shaikh added that recruitment advertisements for the project candidates will shortly be appearing in the local media.

-Ends-

The Labour Fund
The Kingdom of Bahrain has taken vital steps towards a labour market reform which is an essential stride to ensure that the human capital of the country is developed and that employment is made more attractive for localization as well as to improve performances of businesses. The strive towards labour reform will impact the Kingdom's economy and raise standards of living as well as pose a challenging commitment to the improvement of services in Bahrain.

The Labour Fund is a semi-autonomous yet independent authority which formulates strategic and operational plans to use the fees collected by the LMRA in order to enhance the overall prosperity of Bahrain by investing in Bahraini employability, job creation, and social support. Hence, the Labour Fund's main objectives are to support Bahrainis to become the employees of choice, and (ii) to support high quality private sector job creation and helping the private sector cope with the impact of labour market reform.

To achieve these objectives, the LF will invest in the cost and quality competitiveness of Bahrainis (e.g., reduction of cost of employing Bahrainis relative to expatriates, investment in skills and work ethic development programs of Bahrainis) and tackle employment barriers on both employer and labour market entrants sides through a combination of financial incentives and capability building, and (ii) in supporting the private sector's adjustment to new cost structures by providing access to capital to alleviate short-term cash constraints or improve productivity, and in know-how initiatives that support improvements in productivity and decreased reliance on expatriate labour through spreading management and technical knowledge.

Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait
BBKBBK has been the pioneer in Commercial Banking for the last 35 years in the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a revolutionary market leader, BBKBBK has built a name and reputation which is respected locally as well as internationally. To maintain this reputation, BBKBBK has been at the forefront, incorporating the latest technologies to provide the finest services. One such service is the e-banking solutions that provides new generation services through its user friendly award winning website www.bbkonline.com

Capital Knowledge
Capital Knowledge operates a training institute that focuses on providing benchmark training for professionals in the finance industry. It is a Bahraini company, licensed by Ministry of Labour and specialises in delivering training solutions in the fields of banking, finance, investments, accounting and management. From its headquarter located at Bahrain Financial Harbour, it covers Bahrain and other GCC countries.

For Media Enquiries, you may contact:
Ms. Hala A. Suleiman
Marketing Communications Manager
Labour Fund
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel: 17568850/17568851
Fax: 17581801
email: info@lf.bh

© Press Release 2008

 

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