Bahrain could start preparing students for their first jobs before they graduate, under a new parliamentary proposal for a national programme designed to turn the final year at university into a launchpad for employment.
The proposal, titled ‘My Opportunity Before Graduation’, calls for a co-ordinated programme linking students with employers, training-providers and job opportunities while they are still on campus.
The initiative was referred yesterday by Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam to the services committee for review in co-ordination with the relevant authorities.
The proposal is being spearheaded by Strategic Thinking Bloc spokesman MP Khalid Bu Onk and co-signed by four other colleagues.
Mr Bu Onk said the idea was based on a simple principle: students should be prepared and trained for employment before they graduate.
He said the programme would identify students in their final year, or their final semester, assess their skills and qualifications and connect them with suitable employers and training opportunities.
“It should become a bridge between the university and the workplace, allowing students to understand what employers need and giving employers an opportunity to identify promising Bahraini talent before graduation,” he said.
The proposal points to the growing annual flow of new graduates into a labour market that is also absorbing jobseekers from previous years.
Figures for 2025 cited in the proposal show that 26,963 Bahrainis entered employment, including 9,149 new entrants to the labour market.
Bahrain University alone celebrated the graduation of 5,783 students last year.
The programme would create a professional readiness file for each participating student, containing information on qualifications, skills, experience and preferred career fields, subject to data protection requirements.
Students would undergo an assessment to identify skills gaps before being directed towards one of several pathways – direct employment, employment-linked training, vocational training in areas of demand or entrepreneurship.
Under the proposed partnership, the Education Ministry, the Higher Education Council and universities would focus on preparing graduates while the Labour Ministry would connect the programme to labour-market needs.
Tamkeen would support training and skills development, while private companies would identify their requirements, provide training and facilitate recruitment.
The programme’s success could be measured by the percentage of graduates securing their first jobs within three, six and 12 months, their retention rates and the extent to which their jobs correspond to their fields of study.
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