Bahrain Polytechnic hosted the 4th Career for Prosperity Forum, entitled “Creative Employment Trends” on 26th April 2016 at the campus (Building 12) under the patronage of H.E Osama Bin Abdulla Al Absi, CEO of the Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), and sponsored by Tamkeen.
The forum, held annually by the Polytechnic’s Career & Employment Centre, provides an opportunity to meet various stakeholders to discuss a variety of ways to secure the workforce of the future, and break the usual ways of employment, especially in light of the advancement of technology and social media. These stakeholders consisted of university presidents and vice presidents, directors of institutions and companies, directors of departments in governmental institutions, private companies, and employees of the Polytechnic.
During his speech, Mr. Osama Al Absi confirmed that the skills of Bahrain Polytechnic graduates get more attention from employers and qualifies them to earn good jobs immediately after graduation.
After his speech, Mrs. Ema Janahi, the Polytechnic’s Director of Academic Development (Forum Chairperson) thanked the patron and the sponsors of the event for their support and attendance, noting the importance of the “Creative Employment Trends” forum, especially in light of the development of technology which requires the creation of new jobs that coincides with this development and ensure a good future for the next generation.
This was followed by an award ceremony to the speakers, sponsors, and guests of the workshop, honored by H.E Osama Al Absi and Acting CEO of Bahrain Polytechnic, Dr. Mohamed Al Aseeri.
Mr. Hamid Rashid Al Zayani, Honorary Chairman of Al Zayani Investment delivered the opening speech titled “Trends shaping the future of work”. Afterwards, a panel was formed, which hosted Mr. Mohammed Sayar (Assistant Director of Human Resources & Capacity Building, e-government) who spoke about “Past employment analysis, current labor market challenges and anticipated needs for future employment”, and Mr. Khalid Al Alawi (Enterprise Advisor from Tamkeen) who spoke about “Latest creative projects established by young Bahrainis in the last three years which were sponsored by Tamkeen”. Opportunities for questions were given after the panel discussion.
Subsequently, attendees are distributed to other halls where three different workshops took place:
- Nabeela Al Qaseer, Consultant in Human Resources Management, delivered a workshop on “The recruitment trends; the new recruitment needs”.
- Ali Sabkar, Founder and president of Social Media Club Bahrain and MENA, delivered a workshop on “The creative use of social media as a business tool”.
- Christian Abi Khalil, Territory Manager of LinkedIn MENA, delivered a workshop on “The 21st Century skills.”
On this occasion, Dr. Mohamed Al Aseeri stated: “The subject of recruitment worries governments, institutions and individuals. In spite of the different ideologies of each party, with respect to the skills and competencies needed, they get together to secure a workforce for the future.
“Therefore, the three parties seek to find extraordinary opportunities and different solutions to fulfill their recruitment needs. The need for creativity emerged to break the usual ways of employment, especially in light of the advancement of technology and social media.” he continued.
Dr. Al Aseeri stressed that the Polytechnic is keen to create an element of creativity and innovation among the students so that they become adapted to the new technology and meet the changing requirements of the labor market. He added that this is done by partnering with stakeholders and business owners to develop graduates with confidence and the necessary skills required by the labor market, and that this is one of the most important goals that seeks to achieve the Polytechnic’s strategic plan 2015-2019, the government action plan 2015-2018 and Bahrain 2030 Vision.
The Acting CEO thanked the patron of the event, Mr. Osama Al Absi, Tamkeen for their sponsorship, and to all the guest speakers and participants of the event. He also thanked the Career & Employment Centre for organizing this successful forum.
In turn, the audience praised the content delivered in the forum by the guest speakers and thanked the executive management of the Polytechnic for hosting a well-organized forum. They added that they are keen to participate in more events that concern the development of the next generation.
