Vocational testing centre project approved in Bahrain
Manama, January 30, 2014
Plans to build a college of hospitality and a vocational testing centre in Bahrain won initial approval yesterday.
The projects were on the agenda of a key meeting chaired by Deputy Premier Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, head of the ministerial committee for services and infrastructure, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan outlined the projects in a memo. The panel endorsed the projects, assigning the Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry to allocate land for the facilities, pending results of a feasibility study which will be submitted to the Cabinet.
The rate of Bahrainisation in the hospitality sector dropped 33 per cent to 16 per cent, the meeting was told.
The number of expatriate employees working in the hospitality sector topped 9,500. The planned vocational testing centre will assess expatriates' skills and issue them with necessary certificates.
Based on studies, Humaidan expects the hospitality sector to achieve growth in the coming years, which will generate work opportunities for young jobseekers.
The committee tasked Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi to hire a company specialised in domestic waste management.
The Deputy Premier gave directives to fast-track work on sanitary projects in old areas, particularly in East Riffa.
He assigned officials to study the remarks submitted by East Riffa residents regarding the upgradation of the sanitary network.
Works Minister Essam Khalaf updated the committee on steps being taken to assess infrastructure across Bahrain - particularly during rainy season.
The technical difficulties hampering the East Riffa sanitary project topped the agenda of the meeting.
The contractor failed to complete the project on January 22 due to the rocky nature of the land and difficulty in moving equipment, completing only 45 per cent of the project.
A new contracting company has been commissioned to finalise the multi-phased infrastructure project. - TradeArabia News Service
