Skills score proposal to match Bahrainis with jobs

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A plan to give every Bahraini a job-readiness score showing which jobs they are ready for and which skills they still lack has been put before Parliament.

MP Dr Muneer Suroor wants a Bahrain Skills Profile for each citizen, along with a Career Readiness Index showing how their skills, qualifications and work history match the jobs on offer.

The digital file would stay with each Bahraini through their education and working life, recording academic qualifications, professional certificates, work experience, training courses, technical and digital skills, professional licences and relevant work achievements.

The score would compare that record with the requirements of specific jobs and professions.

If someone lacks a skill needed for a job, the system would show what is missing and suggest training to help them gain it.

‘A citizen needs to know how ready they really are for a job, not simply hold a certificate,’ Dr Suroor said 

Dr Suroor said a certificate alone did not show that someone was ready for work.

The system would also show the government how many Bahrainis are ready for each type of job before Bahrainisation plans are drawn up.

It could reveal which skills are in short supply and help schools, universities and training providers focus on what employers need.

Training schemes could also be measured by how many people who take part go on to find work.

Dr Suroor said Bahrain needed a database that recorded skills as well as academic qualifications and covered the skills likely to be needed for future jobs.

The proposal points to artificial intelligence, digital technology and the knowledge economy as areas changing the jobs available and the skills employers seek.

It is also meant to give Bahrainis a clearer idea of which jobs they are ready for and what they need to learn to improve their chances of finding work.

The system could give the government a clearer picture of the skills Bahrain already has, where shortages lie and where training money should be spent.