One of ASRY’s specific initiatives in this period of reinvestment was the commitment to Bahrainization directed by the Board of Directors under the leadership of Shaikh Duaij bin Salman Al-Khalifa.
“ASRY is keen on attracting competencies in general and Bahraini competent employees in particular in the various business areas of ASRY”. Emphasising that Bahraini competency is given priority and that Bahraini manpower is instrumental to the firm’s success, Shaikh Duajj confirmed that productivity at ASRY has seen tangible improvements due to the in-house training network of ASRY’s Training Centre in conjunction with or external training courses and overseas participation at reputed training and development institutions specialized in shipbuilding and repair work. Bahrainisation at ASRY now stands at 45%, which is especially impressive considering the largely industrial nature of ASRY’s labour, and provides a leading platform to contribute back to the national economy,” Shaikh Duaij, said.
The $7million has also been directed through a strict policy of recruitment diversification to avoid discrimination.
“To improve specialized competencies, ASRY sets professional targeted strategies aiming at developing national elements to keep pace with global knowledge and practices. As a result of structural reorganization, Bahraini competent employees assumed higher positions in various areas. As part of our policy of women enablement, female employees of ASRY hold important positions within the Company’s hierarchy.”
He pointed out that the total number of ASRY employees was 1656 as at end December 2011, with special attention to recruiting 254 Bahrainis in leading positions, including 16 out of 40 female employees. The leading positions are those from Grade 8 to Grade 16 in the Company’s top hierarchy. “This is a clear indication of the management’s attention to employ Bahrainis in implementation of the Bahrainization policy approved by the Board of Directors”, Shaikh Duaij said.
The Human Resources and Development Manager said that with the recent $188 million expansion of ASRY, the Company still looks for capable Bahraini nationals and that the directives of the Board of Director are for ASRY to play a more significant role in the national economy. He pointed out that the management has set strategies for advanced training. ASRY’s training budget last year was $1.5 million. The Training Centre provided 1,004 training hours last year from which 1272 employees benefited from 33 training and educational programs in a number of training and educational institutions and universities within and outside the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Shaikh Duaij said that ASRY would remain keen on utilizing various reputed training institutions that meet the Company’s training requirements. These institutions include the University of Bahrain, the Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF), the University of Delmon, the Institute of Pearl, Bahrain Training Institute (BTI), Al Muallem Institute, Al Mashriq Al Arabi Training Centre, NIT, and the Bridge Institutions.