100 Bahraini secondary school and university graduates to be trained and employed at Silah through Tamkeen's support

Tamkeen, 16 April 2012: Tamkeen signed an agreement with Silah Gulf (Silah) to train and employ 100 Bahraini secondary school and university graduates in the company. The agreement is part of Tamkeen's Employment Support scheme, which helps private sector companies identify their employment requirements and fill those vacancies with Bahrainis after providing them with the necessary training.

The signing ceremony was attended by Tamkeen's Chief Executive Mr. Mahmood Hashem Al-Kooheji, Silah Gulf Chief Executive Officer Mr. Joe Tawfik, and a number of senior officials from both sides.

Under the three-year agreement, Tamkeen will contribute BD 61,700 to train 100 Bahraini graduates from the secondary school levels and university levels at Silah Academy. The programme includes basic skills training that will qualify trainees to work as customer service representatives at Silah call centres.

Interested Bahrainis can apply to the programme by calling Tamkeen on 17393333 or via e-mail at support@tamkeen.bh.     

Commenting on the agreement, Al-Kooheji said Tamkeen has more than 100 programmes specifically dedicated to human capital development - including the Employment Support scheme - from which 77,500 Bahrains stand to benefit. These programmes seek to up-skill Bahraini in accordance with the requirements of the labour market in order to make them the employees of choice in the private sector.

Mr. Al-Kooheji further noted that the call centre field is a dynamic growing one which stands to create a sustainable job source for the local workforce and bolster the national economy as a whole.

Joe Tawfik, CEO, Silah thanked Tamkeen for supporting Silah Academy. "As a leading player in the growing contact centre industry, Silah wants to become an employer of choice for the youth in Bahrain. Our National Contact Centre is currently operated by 100% Bahrainis and we're constantly adding new staff. With Tamkeen's support, we will utilize out international expertise in customer service to train Bahrainis, bringing them on par with global best practices."

Tamkeen launched 25 programmes under its Employment Support initiative. It signed training and employment agreements with leading companies in the sectors of aviation, manufacturing, call centers, engineering, healthcare, marketing, administration, finance and banking, public relations, and logistics. Some 3,800 Bahrainis are expected to benefit from these programmes.

-Ends-

About Tamkeen
Tamkeen was established in August 2006 as part of Bahrain's national reform initiatives and Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, and is tasked with developing Bahrain's private sector and positioning it as the key driver of economic development.

Tamkeen's two primary objectives are: 1) Fostering the creation and development of enterprises, and 2) Providing support to enhance the productivity and growth of enterprises and individuals.

Under each of those objectives, a number of mechanisms and programmes have been identified based on detailed studies of the labour market to identify current and future gaps for individuals and enterprises and how to address them.

As of December 2011, Tamkeen has injected more than BD 166 million into the private sector through its programmes, targeting over 100,000 Bahrainis and enterprises.

Moreover, it has made in excess of BD 166 million available through its financing portfolio, and enabled over 3,000 Bahrainis find employment, and more than 1,000 enterprises to participate in leading local, regional, and international trade fairs and exhibitions.

In 2012, Tamkeen plans on launching more than 20 new initiatives. These programmes range from training aimed at developing human capital - whether students, employees, employers, or job seekers - to match acquired skills to market requirements, and other programmes which enhance the productivity of individuals through promoting awareness of successful practices in the private sector. For enterprises, Tamkeen provides professional consulting services to raise their performance, and facilitates access to financing to bridge the enterprise financing gap. In addition, Tamkeen is also leading other national initiatives which enhance investments in Bahrain.

Tamkeen's funds come from 50% of the fees collected from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority.

About Silah
Silah is the GCC region's premier provider of contact centre services and consulting. A joint venture formed in 2009 between Bahrain's eGovernment Authority and Merchants, Silah offers consulting, outsourced services and technology solutions for Government and companies in the GCC.

For more information about our programmes, please call:
Marketing Communications department
Tamkeen
Telephone:  17383326 / 17383327
Fax: 17382352
e-Mail: support@tamkeen.bh   
Website: www.tamkeen.bh
http://www.facebook.com/TamkeenBahrain   
http://twitter.com/TamkeenBahrain
http://www.youtube.com/TamkeenBahrain

© Press Release 2012