“The Kingdom should make it a priority to ensure its young people were well prepared for the challenges of working in the modern economy,” Sheikha Hessa in an interview to Oxford Business Group (OBG) said.
“The job market is continually changing, and certain jobs are in decline while other skill sets are in high demand,” she said. “The educational community needs to ensure that curricula are up to date and in line with global standards.”
The interview with Sheikha Hessa will appear in The Report: Bahrain 2012, OBG’s forthcoming guide on the Kingdom’s economic activity and investment opportunities. The Group’s report will include a detailed, sector-by-sector guide for foreign investors, together with a wide range of interviews with the most prominent political, economic and business leaders.
Sheikha Hessa said that the private sector had a valuable role to play in providing young people with an insight into getting started in business and Bahrain’s workforce needs.
“It is important to ingrain the entrepreneurial spirit in students before they graduate,” she said. “The key is to get the private sector involved as much as possible within the classroom, whether through teaching programmes, knowledge-sharing or coordination with educators to inform them of local needs.”
She also voiced her hope that inJAz Bahrain’s financial literacy programmes would encourage a higher number of graduates to consider a career in financial services by providing them with a better understanding of the industry.
inJAz Bahrain is a non-profit organisation led by the private sector which was set up to help give young Bahrainis the knowledge and skills needed to enter the labour market.