Higher wages for citizens and more funds to help the private sector form the crux of Tamkeen’s largest initiative since inception to support 50,000 Bahrainis per year.
Announcing details during a Press conference at the Bahrain Chamber’s Bait Al Tijjar headquarters yesterday, Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan said a new budget will be dedicated for supporting locals through various tracks offered by Tamkeen.
It aims to increase wages for Bahrainis in the private sector, create more jobs, train citizens with the skills they need to succeed and help them get into leadership positions as well as support private sector growth and expansion.
The launch comes as part of the directives of His Majesty King Hamad to continue creating quality opportunities for Bahrainis and the Cabinet’s approval, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. It also follows the directives of Tamkeen chairman and Isa bin Salman Education Charitable Trust chairman Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Emphasising that the new programmes aim to support employment, training, career development and wage increments for Bahraini private sector employees, Mr Humaidan said the decision comes as part of the ongoing partnership between the government and the private sector and following the recent agreements between the legislative and executive authorities regarding the state’s general budget last May.
Present alongside the minister was Maha Mofeez, the chief executive of Tamkeen, also known as the Labour Fund.
She said three main initiatives have been identified to support new market entrants and create quality opportunities for them, while enabling career development for Bahraini cadres to become the employees of choice in the labour market.
- The first initiative focuses on providing enhanced employment support programmes with higher caps and new features. This will help more Bahrainis get high-paying jobs, including in specialised fields and leadership positions.
Tamkeen will also encourage apprenticeships to train and employ Bahrainis. As a part of this, the minimum wage for National Employment Programme participants has been increased by BD50 so that high school graduates get BD350, diploma holders get BD430 and bachelor’s degree holders get BD500.
The maximum wage subsidy for unemployed Bahrainis hired by private sector companies has been hiked to BD800 for university graduates, BD600 for diploma holders and BD450 for high school graduates.
Tamkeen is expanding the eligibility criteria for its support programmes for new labour market entrants from 12 months to 24 months.
It is also allowing employees who have been enrolled in the National Employment Programme for two years to request support to increase their wages.
The support period for Bahrainis who are employed in executive and leadership positions has been extended from 12 months to 24 months, and the stipend for on-the-job training has been raised to BD200.
- The second initiative focuses on supporting Bahrainis’ career development in the labour market with an unprecedented budget.
“This will include programmes that cater to labour market needs, extended support periods, and training programmes that cover the full cost of professional qualifications and specialised skills training. The goal is to make Bahrainis the first choice for employment in quality jobs,” Ms Mofeez explained.
Under this, the wages of private sector employees who earn less than BD1,500 will be increased by up to BD300 with Tamkeen support.
The support period for the programme will be extended to 24 months and will cover 100 per cent of the wage increase, subject to the employer’s approval.
Tamkeen is also introducing a new track to support 100pc of the difference in wages for employees who move between private sector enterprises for 24 months.
New incentives are being brought in to encourage employees with salaries of less than BD600 to take up specialised training courses.
Tamkeen will also cover the full cost of professional qualifications training for Bahrainis and extend the support period for those employed in executive and leadership positions from 12 months to 24 months.
- As for the third initiative, the Labour Fund is launching new enterprise support programmes for businesses of all sizes and growth stages.
These will help businesses launch new ideas and innovations, expand locally and internationally, and employ more Bahrainis. Tamkeen will also provide incentives for businesses that achieve financial growth.
The support will come in the form of incentive grants, access to financing and advisory, Ms Mofeez said.
Tamkeen has started accepting applications for its new programmes from yesterday, and will continue to expand its partnerships and initiatives, as well as provide training and upskilling for Bahrainis.
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