Discussions on consolidated education and training standards

Tamkeen: Sunday, 6 March, 2011 - Tamkeen has organised a workshop for discussions on "The Bahrain Qualifications Framework (BQF)", which is a national initiative adopted by Tamkeen under the supervision of the Higher Committee for Education and Training in the Kingdom, led by HH The Deputy Prime Minister, Shaikh Mohamed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.

The event was attended by institutions and stakeholders in the Kingdom's educational sector along with education experts from the GCC, Scotland and Ireland.

In his opening address, Tamkeen's Vice President of Enterprises & Human Capital Development, Dr. Ahmed AbdulHameed Al Shaikh, emphasised the importance of the Bahrain Qualifications Framework project and its consistency with Tamkeen's vision to make Bahrainis the employees of choice in the private sector through determining standard foundations pertaining to all academic and vocational levels in the Kingdom.

Dr. AlShaikh also clarified that the BQF is a step forward for the Kingdom to keep current with the global developments by establishing the necessary platform to elevate education and vocational levels, paving the way for easy access to the marketplace locally and globally, and promoting lifelong learning concepts. He further explained that this project aims at initiating a coherent and a transparent framework helping Bahrainis in defining their learning objectives and planning their future career.

Furthermore, Mr. Abdulellah Ebrahim Al Qassimi, the Chairman of the BQF Steering Committee, explained that this project is one of the essential projects of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 development matrix. This framework will provide the tools of knowledge and training to be an active participant in building 'Bahrain of the future' and in combining our joint efforts to accomplish an integrated education and training system.

He also added that the Steering Committee has signed two MoUs with the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, both having a track record of success and are recognised worldwide, who will bring their expertise in setting up the guidelines of the Bahrain National Framework.

The BQF will combine Scottish and Irish experiences and will be tailor-made to meet Bahrain needs and apply the unique Bahraini perspective. This strategic partnership, backed by Bahrain's networks on the regional front, will further boost the educational process and satisfy the aspirations of Bahraini human capital development and the labour market. Mr. Al Qassimi also said that Bahrain is targeting the establishment of a national framework that is internationally recognised facilitating the mutual accreditation process and its usage in all aspects.

Mr. Al Qassimi also expressed his hope that the BQF will be a cornerstone for integration with other GCC qualifications authorities to come up with a unified GCC qualifications framework. This will aim to merge the education and training sector of the region along with adopting recognised standards to serve our educational and training institutions and open new employment opportunities in the region for citizens of the GCC irrespective of their home countries. 

John O'Connor, the head of development at the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, delivered a detailed presentation on international frameworks and the European experience in this regard. Mrs. Masooma Naser, Manager BQF project (Tamkeen), also presented a detailed description of the framework that was developed in Bahrain and the phases it went through. She described the framework as being the stepping stone to put policies necessary to implement the Bahrain Qualifications Framework that was approved by the Education Reform Board.

Explaining the project's particulars, Mrs. Nasser pointed at the necessity of such a framework and the value it provides to learners and businessmen in the Kingdom. The importance of such qualifications lies in its connection to the labor market that needs world-class qualifications to elevate the national economy.

Tamkeen has engaged all stakeholders in the education and training sector in the designing phase of the BQF which will be the reference on which all qualifications are based. Mrs. Naser also pointed out that this coherent framework comprises three educational paths: The general academic path; the higher education path; and the vocational training path.

Mrs. Naser was quoted as saying "We hope to apply policies capable of implementing the BQF through the collaboration of all stakeholders in the education and training sector. Furthermore, an executive function will be formed on a temporary basis to oversee the Framework."

Commenting on the event, Mrs. Amal AlKooheji, Tamkeen's Senior Manager Human Capital Development, said "At Tamkeen, we recognise the importance of the correlation between qualifications and labour market needs. We are also aware that the existence of a general framework will contribute mainly to assure the quality of education and training outcomes aside from its appropriateness to labour market standards."

This initiative forms part of the multi-faceted efforts by Tamkeen to support the continuous development and professional progression in line with the Bahrain Vision 2030.

-Ends-

About Tamkeen:
Tamkeen is a semi-autonomous yet independent authority which formulates strategic and operational plans to enhance the overall prosperity of Bahrain by investing in Bahraini employability, job creation and social support. Tamkeen is funded by the fees collected by the LMRA.

Tamkeen's main objectives are to support Bahrainis to become the employees of choice, and to support high quality private sector job creation

To achieve these objectives, Tamkeen will invest  in the cost and quality competitiveness of Bahrainis (e.g., reduction of cost of employing Bahrainis relative to expatriates, investment in skill and work ethic development programmes of Bahrainis); in tackling employment barriers on both employer and labour market entrants' sides through a combination of financial incentives and capability building, and 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.

Tamkeen has invested more than BD 140 million in more than 70 projects targeting 45,000 Bahrainis and 8,000 enterprises.  Programmes are continuously being devised as per Tamkeen's strategy and the numbers of beneficiaries are continuously increasing.

For more information on our programmes and initiatives, please contact: 
Marketing Communications
Tamkeen
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel: 17383326/17383327
Fax: 17382352
Email: info@tamkeen.bh 
Website : www.tamkeen.bh
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© Press Release 2011