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Muscat - In line with the national objective of offering more employment opportunities for young Omanis, and to make a meaningful contribution towards the overall economic growth of the Sultanate, General Automotive Company (GAC), the official distributors of Mitsubishi in Oman, and Dhofar Automotive, the official distributors of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and RAM, and Alfa Romeohave welcomed 80 newly hired Omanis into their dealership network across the Sultanate.
The welcome ceremony for the 80 new employees was held at the Mitsubishi Showroom in Athibah on April 12, and was attended by Mr. Hani Zubair, Chairman of The Zubair Automotive Group, Sultan al-Tamimi, the Vocational Guidance Manager at Ministry of Manpower, engineering Kamis bin Salim Al Salmi, the Saham Vocational Training Centre manager,Mr. Mark Tomlinson, Group General Manager of the Zubair Automotive Group, senior management and regional managers of General automotive and Dhofar Automotive companies.
The event was inaugurated with a welcome speech given by Mr. Hani Zubair, who noted:
"Every company withinour Group companies places development of the national work force as one of our top priorities, and weconsider thisobjective to be thecornerstone of our human resources development program. This policy is in line with the ongoing efforts made by the Omani government to create new job opportunities for Omani youth. We, together with our group automotive companies, regularly work in close collaboration with various government agencies to achieve this important goal. With such a robust program in place we hope we can lead by example and inspire other companies to do the same to build their workforce capacity."
The Chairman's speech was followed by a presentation by Salam Al Kindi, the National HR Manager of General Automotive Company, on the induction program and the field training that will be conducted for each of the 80 trainees in the following three months. Each of the trainees was then presented with a memento in commemoration of their full-time employment with their new automotive companies.
Congratulating the new employees, Mark Tomlinson noted:
"Each of the 80 trainees have undergone rigorous training over the past seven months and have proved themselves to extremely efficient and capable employees. I am confident they will be highly valued team members,actively contributing to the success of their respective brands, and we are proud to welcome them into the ever growing family of General Automotive Company and Dhofar Automotive employees."
Commenting on the event Mr. Sultan al-Tamimi, the Vocational Guidance assistant Manager at Ministry of Manpower said, "I would like to thankGeneral Automotive and Dhofar Automotive for their continuous efforts to provide more employment opportunities for Omani youth. As we celebrate the welcome ceremony for the 80 new employees joining GAC and Dhofar Automotive, we are proud to have trained and equipped them with the necessary skills required to join their private sector jobs, namely the automotive sector. The on job training which will be provided to them will further sharpen their capabilities. They have to work hard and benefit from their colleagues experiences in order to develop their skills and progress to higher positions within their respective companies."
Commenting on the cooperation of the private sector with the ministry of Manpower, he added:
"Private sector companies have always been cooperative with the Ministry, and we are looking forward to further strengthen this cooperation with other companies in varying fields. The Ministry bears the costs of training, enabling the companies to have well-trained employeesthat are well prepared to join the job market. On the other hand, Omani youth should take the opportunities provided to them in the private sector and not wait for jobs in the public sector, which can be a long process. The private sector provides a number of excellent opportunities and privileges which are not found in the public sector."
This welcome ceremony follows a MoU signed by both dealerships with the Ministry of Manpower in December last year. The agreement was signed at the Ministry of Manpower in the presence of HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, the Minister of Manpower. In accordance with the agreement, GAC and Dhofar Automotive selected 37 and 43 Omanis respectively from the Saham Vocational Institute to undergo seven months of comprehensive training, with the Ministry covering all training expenses. The training encompassed detailed programs for every job allocation including auto parts, sales, auto technicians, auto electrician and auto body repair. In addition, both GAC and Dhofar Automotive covered all training costsand paid each of the respective trainees a monthly allowance for the duration of the training.
Kamis bin Salim Al Salmithe Manager of Saham Vocational Training Centre added:
"We are proud to be part of this celebration, as we were involved in providing the vocational training for the new employees for the past seven months. We are delighted to see them join large companies such as GAC and Dhofar Automotive, and we are confident that they will perform well and responsibly. They are truly lucky to start their career insuch well-renowned companies, ones that will provide them with greater chances of career development in the future."
As a part of their commitment to the training program, twice over the duration of the training, the senior management of both GAC and Dhofar Automotive visited the Saham Vocational Institute to meet and interact with the young Omanis undergoing the vocational training program. The visits included a comprehensive tour of the facility and personal interactions with each of the trainees.
Now that the training has been completed, each of the former trainees have been employed as full-time staff throughout the GAC and Dhofar Automotive branch network. In addition, each of the employees also benefit from an on-the-job three-month training program together with other training programs regularly conducted by the automotive dealerships for their staff; helping them further develop their skills and knowledge of the automotive sector.
Issa bin Said Al-Breki, who is joining GAC as a Mechanic said:
"I am very happy to join GAC. The company provides us with plenty of chances for developing our skillsand encourages us to learn through our own efforts and from the experiences of our colleagues working within the same field. I believe that the opportunity doe career growth is great with GAC being one of the largest automotive companies in Oman."
SamihaRashi al-Bahri, who is joining Dhofar Automotive added:
"I am joining the sales division at Dhofar Automotive. I liked this field and thanks to the training programme we went through, I believe we are ready to join the sector. It is a privilege and a pleasure to be part of the Dhofar Automotive family. I believe that there are great opportunities for career development withinthe company, and I am confident my performance will be reflected in my growth to higher positions in the company in the future."
Khamis bin Mubarak Al-Amri, who is also joining Dhofar Automotive in car sales added:
"Following the extensive training that we underwent in the past seven months I believe we are ready to join the sector as employees and effectively implement what we have learnt. We are lucky to have joined a company as renowned and Dhofar Automotive. Additionally, I am sure we will benefit from the regular training programs conducted by the company for its employees, providing a chance develop our skills even further."
Zainab Abdullah Al-Qaraini added, who joined GAC added:
"I would like to thank the Ministry of Manpower and GAC for providing this opportunity for Omani youth. I will be working in the parts division, which has always been my ambition. I hope to achieve progress by learning from the experience of others and through my own efforts in the field."
To find out more about GAC or Dhofar Automotive, customers can visit each of their respective showrooms.
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© Press Release 2015
