Bahrain’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and IBMIBM have announced an initiative, which aims to develop local IT expertise. The first project to be undertaken will result in a total of 2,000 graduates receiving IT training over the next five years, and will be implemented with the involvement of IBM’s business partner, Gulf Business Machines (GBM), and Bahrain Training Institute, where an IT Centre of Excellence will be established. Agreements were signed during a recent meeting between Bahrain’s minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Abdulnabi Al Sho’ala, IBM General Manger Middle East and Pakistan, Farid Metwaly, Bahrain Training Institute training director, Dr Naji Al Mahdi, and GBM CEO, Cesare Cardone. “IBM’s global expertise and GBM’s local knowledge will speed the development of home-grown talent at the Bahrain Training Institute Centre of Excellence,” said Al Sho’ala. “We anticipate a high level of interest from graduates seeking to learn about leading-edge technology both from Bahrain and from neighbouring countries. IBM will create an advanced career development program, which will evolve with changing market requirements and advances in the IT industry.”The first program will involve training and certification of Bahraini graduates through a combination of lectures, workshops and internships in locally based companies. Trainees can choose to specialise in certain areas, such as e-business application development, and receive international certification. In addition, IBM will certify 40 Bahraini instructors as specialist IT trainers in a ‘train the trainer’ program. “We are proud of the excellent relationships we have developed in the Gulf countries, and realise the high level of talent among local youth,” said Metwaly. “We are delighted that our contribution to this project will enhance local talent and help it reach its full potential.”
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