Human resources managers and labor experts from the Gulf region will recommend the closure of substandard job training schools and institutes because they are not providing their graduates with the skills required to be competitive in the local labor market. A decision in this regard was reached during a meeting last Saturday of human resources managers and labor experts from the six major chambers of commerce and industry in the GCC. The meeting was convened by the Dammam-based Federation of Gulf Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FGCC Chambers), the organization that supports regional chambers and private enterprises. “Many of these so-called training schools and centers were established as purely commercial ventures to make money and are not really focused on enhancing the skills and proficiencies of their students,” said Basem A. Al-Saif, the Director of the Committee Department of the FGCC Chambers. Most of the substandard job training institutes and centers are privately owned, according to Al-Saif. He said there are standards set by the ministries of labor in the six Gulf states in the training of those seeking skills in order to qualify for jobs, but some of the training schools and institutes do not follow these set standards and guidelines. Thus, he said, the graduates and trainees of these substandard training schools are unable to get jobs because they do not possess the basic skills and knowledge required by the position for which they are applying. Job experts said regional governments must also encourage their young people to take vocational and technical education courses. They said the perception that vocational and technical professions lack dignity and respectability should be a thing of the past. However, the low enrollment in vocational and technical schools is an indication that this view still persists. A recent report by the World Bank has revealed that while GCC countries invest heavily in education, spending an average of five percent of their GDPs, the return remained modest. “These were the findings of the human resources experts from the six chambers of commerce, which is why it was agreed that these substandard job training schools should be closed,” Al-Saif said. However, if these training institutions upgrade and improve their training strategies, by employing professional trainers and instructors, acquiring approved facilities, following international standards, or becoming licensed by international training institutions, they will be allowed to continue to operate, Al-Saif said. Al-Saif said the six major chambers of commerce in the region will recommend the closure of substandard training schools to their respective ministry of labor. The chambers of commerce and industry will also propose the upgrading of those schools willing to improve their services. The human resources managers from the six chambers of commerce also agreed to establish a database of all employable GCC citizens, such as, graduates of job training schools and vocational and technical institutes from all over the Gulf region. The objective, Al-Saif said, is not only to build a capable pool of employable human resources from the region, but also to match the skills of those in the databank with the requirements of companies and business organizations in the region. “The idea is also to provide more training to those who still lack the required skills so that they will have a better opportunity to get a job,” he said.
