First regional conference on skills gaps study offers look at the future workplace

The conference was attended by more than 200 stakeholders and key Bahraini leaders in business, government, academia and NGOs; in addition to regional representatives from the GCC.

In a statement by the Conference's patron, His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister said:

"The convening of this conference comes as a result of our need to act in responses to the challenges that we have faced over the years in finding qualified Bahraini employees. We have been working to provide skills training to Bahrainis so that they would be best equipped to face the demands of the workplace of the 21st century. These are skills that they will need in order to fulfil their roles as builders of a modern and prosperous Bahrain."

He continued, "The vision of of His Majesty the King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the National Reforms of 2001 in addition to the efforts of the Government of Bahrain, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the initiatives of His Highness Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the BDF, opened new doors for enterprise and future progress. These far-sighted initiatives have been built upon by the Chairman of the Economic Development Board and strengthened the Kingdom's economic and labour needs, with the future of the labour market and the employment of a skilled labour force, as one of its main objectives."

Sheikh Mohammed said the Skills Gap Survey and Conference would help the Government and the private sector to plan training and human resource strategies for the future and create a generation of Bahraini nationals with world-class training and modern education to take their rightful place in tomorrow's society. He said the data provided by the survey would help to fine-tune the focus on education and training and their role in the process of economic and social development.

"The outcome of this conference will help us to identify all the expected skills gaps in the labour market, and verifying these gaps would help us to build a training and educational programme for the Kingdom that would strengthen the national economy and be responsive to market needs," he said, "It will undoubtedly enhance government programmes and make them sensitive to the needs and requirements of the private sector, in keeping with our common goal to move towards demand-driven labour market in the provision of skills governed by customer needs and expectations of individuals and employers."

He also said that the conclusions and recommendations of the study will help Bahrain to develop the labour market and fill the skills gap seen through ambitious programmes and projects that will contribute to the qualification of the Bahraini citizen and make Bahrainis the best option for employers.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation to HE Dr. Nezar bin Sadeq Al-Baharna, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Board and all employees of Tamkeen (Labour Fund), and wished the work of the conference every success for the growth and progress of the Kingdom.
At the outset of the conference, , the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of Tamkeen Dr. Nezar Al Bahrana said the Skills Gap Survey was part of efforts to "create an environment of progress for the Bahraini citizen-worker."

Dr. Al Baharna said that the Kingdom's leaders were working to transform the workplace and align the talent and training of Bahrainis so that it is in harmony with what the market requires.
" When it comes to preparing our future then, we need to have in place the vital infrastructure to make informed decisions," he said, "The scientific and detailed examination of our Kingdom's human resources and how it fits our workplace requirements - the Skills Gap Survey in other words - is therefore a key ingredient in our management of our future."

The day-long conference covered the findings of the Skills Gap Survey and the different sessions discussed aspects such as educational reform and quality assurance to take forward the findings into the realm of action.

Key preliminary findings of the survey noted that:

- The public sector remains the largest single employer in Bahrain
- Income inequality is high compared to other developed nations and there is a low level of middle-income households.
- An increasing number of Bahraini women will enter the labour market.
- Almost all eleven sectors of the Bahrain economy considered in this study are likely to experience significant skills gaps in the future, especially in the trade and tourism and hospitality sectors; manufacturing and construction where there is a need for physical skills
- There will be a strong demand for skills such as communications, customer relationships and planning skills.
- There were also a number of generic skills gaps identified by stakeholders — these included language skills and basic information technology skills.

The eleven sectors included in this study are manufacturing, public sector, business services, health, education, transport and logistics, tourism and hospitality, construction, trade, information communication technology and telecommunications.

The consultants have canvassed a wide range of views across a large number of sectors of Bahraini industries, together with views of trade unions, education institutions, NGOs, Government, and other stakeholders. They have also - with local partner Ernst and Young (Bahrain) - surveyed businesses, employees, education institutions and new graduates to provide more detailed data on the skills gaps they anticipate in the next five years.

Tamkeen's Chief Executive Abdulellah Al-Qassimi reiterated that the kind patronage of the deputy Prime Minister H.E. Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa underlines the leadership's and government's interest in such an important and critical issue. This study is expected to provide a wealth of data and information to assist in identifying and validating projected skills gaps across the economy in order to support and reinforce the strategic alignment of Tamkeen's programmes with the needs and requirements of the private sector.

As the first study of its kind in the region, we are looking forward to utilising the final analysis to enhance the strategic reach of human capital development programmes and effectively support the prosperous growth and development of the national work force. We are anticipating that the Skills Gaps Conference will provide a valued opportunity for key stakeholders and intellectuals to discuss Bahrain's human capital needs utilising the preliminary work carried out by the Allen Consulting Group".

Allen Consulting Group director Professor Stephen Bartos said this study was a ground-breaking exercise that would put the Kingdom of Bahrain at the forefront of the region in its efforts to build a skilled economy. He said "no country can invest in all possible skills at the same time. That is why a good information base on which to base decisions is so important - it helps ensure that the most important gaps can be dealt with as a priority, and that the overall needs of the nation are met in a strategic way."