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Parliament is set to debate a Shura Council-proposed amendment that would have made it compulsory for large private-sector employers to train Bahraini university graduates.
The government has called for a rethink, explaining that existing legislation already provides a broader and more comprehensive framework.
The proposal sought to add a new Article (Sixteenth bis) to the 2007 Vocational Training Law, obligating employers with 50 or more workers to train university graduates nominated by the Labour and Legal Affairs Ministry at a ratio of one trainee for every 50 employees, for a period of not less than three months.
However, parliament’s services committee has recommended rejecting the draft law, despite acknowledging the importance of its underlying objective – boosting the employability of Bahraini graduates and reducing unemployment.
Services committee chairman Mamdooh Al Saleh said the committee’s position was shaped by extensive consultations with the government, the Labour and Legal Affairs Ministry, Tamkeen, business representatives and trade unions.
He explained that Article 16 of the existing Vocational Training Law already obliges employers to train a number of jobseekers, with the number and conditions to be determined by ministerial decision.
“The current law is actually broader than the proposed amendment,” Mr Al Saleh said. “It covers all institutions, regardless of size, and benefits all jobseekers, not only university graduates. This gives the minister the flexibility to direct training where it is most needed.”
The government argued that the proposed amendment would not add any new legal value and could even restrict the wider scope currently available.
Mr Al Saleh noted that Bahrain already operates several effective on-the-job training schemes, funded and supported by Tamkeen in co-ordination with the Labour and Legal Affairs Ministry, most notably the ‘Fursah’ (Opportunity) programme.
“This programme has been running for nearly four years and has helped integrate large numbers of jobseekers into the labour market,” he said. “More than 600 institutions participate, including over 250 since the start of this year alone, and many of them have fewer than 50 employees – which shows the advantage of the existing framework.”
Tamkeen confirmed that its current programmes directly target the same group envisaged by the draft law, while also covering other categories and specialisations, with training periods ranging from six months to a year, and up to two years for lawyers, alongside monthly stipends.
The Bahrain Chamber also cautioned against imposing additional mandatory obligations on employers without a comprehensive review, highlighting potential costs related to social insurance registration, administration and training infrastructure.
Mr Al Saleh said Parliament remains committed to strengthening graduate employment, but through an integrated approach.
“We want Bahraini graduates to gain skills, experience and real job opportunities. The existing legislative and institutional framework already allows this, and our role now is to ensure it is fully utilised and continuously improved.”
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