In line with Tamkeen's commitment for continuous improvement..
Manama, Bahrain - Sunday, 14 April 2013: Tamkeen announced today that its Career Progression Programme, which was previously managed through BDO, will now be managed directly by a dedicated Tamkeen team at the newly opened Career Progression office in Amwaj Islands.
The Career Progression programme, initially launched in 2007, has benefited 12,000 beneficiaries with over BD 18 Million so far. The programme was launched in line with Tamkeen's initiative to enhance the capabilities of Bahrainis to make them employees of choice in the private sector.
The programme helps employers address skills gaps of their Bahraini employees by providing them with a set of training opportunities to gain the necessary skills and boost their wages. Depending on the track selected, the programme will give beneficiaries professional training that will enable them to receive a minimum wage increase of BD50 to their basic salary. The wage increase is subsidised by Tamkeen for a maximum of 2 years.
Tamkeen's Acting Vice President, Human Capital Development, Amal Al-Kooheji, commented on the announcement: "Since its inception, the Career Progression Programme has provided a stepping stone for thousands of employees to develop in their professions and enhance their careers. The decision to put it under our direct management is part of a larger Tamkeen strategy that will put us in a better position to further improve our services as we prepare to develop and expand our programmes in the near future."
The newly established Career Progression Office will handle all new applications and enrolments into the programme, while BDO will continue to handle the existing beneficiaries until they have completed the programme.
Employers interested in this programme are encouraged to visit Tamkeen's Career Progression Office, located on the 3rd Floor of Nuetel Building in Amwaj Islands from 7.30AM to 3.30PM. They may also contact Tamkeen by calling 17383333 or email Info.cpp@tamkeen.bh.
To date, more than 75,000 Bahrainis and enterprises have benefited from Tamkeen's programmes, with more than 100,000 beneficiaries set to benefit from these programmes in all.
About Tamkeen
Tamkeen is an initiative funded by the private sector for the private sector, tasked with developing Bahrain's private sector and positioning it as the key driver of economic development. Established in August 2006, Tamkeen is one of the cornerstones of Bahrain's national reform initiatives and Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
Tamkeen has two primary objectives: Firstly, fostering the creation and development of enterprises, and secondly, providing support to enhance the productivity and growth of enterprises and individuals.
Under each of those objectives, certain mechanisms and innovative support initiatives have been put in place by Tamkeen to address current and future gaps for individuals and enterprises in the private sector that have been identified by thorough studies of the labour market landscape. To date, Tamkeen has created 180 such support programmes.
For Bahrainis, Tamkeen's programmes range from developing the skills and capabilities of Bahrain's human capital, to promoting sound workplace ethics and training on leadership and management best practices, among others. For enterprises, Tamkeen provides programmes which offer enterprises with subsidised business support services, facilitate access to financing to bridge the enterprise financing gap, and enable entrepreneurship, to name a few.
As of end of 2012, Tamkeen's programmes have benefited 66,000 Bahrainis and enterprises in the private sector, and allocated more than BD 292.5 million to the sector for its ongoing and completed programmes. In all, more than 100,000 beneficiaries are expected to benefit from these support programmes.
Tamkeen's human capital development programmes have benefited more than 56,000 Bahrainis, including funding training for nearly 30,000 Bahrainis. In addition, they enabled a further 3,500 Bahrainis to find gainful employment, and more than 2,000 Bahrainis to obtain professional certifications in their respective fields.
For enterprises, nearly 19,000 enterprises have benefited from Tamkeen's support programmes, including enabling more than 4,900 enterprises to get low-cost capital through its BD210 million financing portfolio, and more than 4,500 enterprises to enhance their performance through its subsidised business support services.
In parallel, Tamkeen's programmes have played a key role in institutionalising new concepts within Bahrain's private sector, including SME and micro-financing, entrepreneurship as a viable career path, women empowerment, modern accounting and auditing systems within SMEs, and many other paradigms needed for a vibrant sustainable private sector.
Tamkeen's funds come from 50% of the fees collected from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority.
© Press Release 2013
