MANAMA: Kempinski which ceased its operations in Bahrain after the expiration of the management agreement with Majid Al Futtaim on Monday June 30th had set a new benchmark for providing training to local workforce.
Tamkeen and Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre had celebrated on June 12th the graduation of the first batch of 15 young Bahrainis from the Grooming Bahraini Hospitality Talent Programme which started in January 2014.
The training programme was designed to provide young Bahrainis with world class training in hospitality and offer them employment at a globally-reputed establishment, Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre.
Tamkeen’s Chairman and Acting Chief Executive, Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, visited Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre to meet the Bahraini graduates and observe them in their working environment.
Shaikh Mohammed toured the hotel’s various departments and had informal conversations with the students of this innovative programme, expressing his pride in the apprentices who have been the ground breakers in hospitality education in the kingdom.
“Through the various Tamkeen programmes we constantly strive to provide Bahrainis with the necessary skills and knowledge to help them advance in their careers and apply their skills and abilities to become more productive in their line of work and gain a competitive edge in the labour market. We are proud to see this batch of employees from Kempinski completing an international hospitality qualification and strengthening the Bahraini talent in the market,” Shaikh Mohammed, said.
Apart from Kempinski’s internal training department, the institutions providing training to successful candidates included Third Wave International and William Angliss, an Australian institute ranked among the top five hotel management schools in the world.
The apprentices have received tutoring in both class room setting, as well as practical on-the-job coaching with dedicated Kempinski mentors for each student. The graduates will begin working in departments such as culinary, front office, food & beverage and housekeeping.
“We’re very proud of our young Bahraini trainees for succeeding at this programme, and thrilled to be a part of their professional growth. We believe this pioneering initiative adds great value to the growing hospitality market in Bahrain,” Puneet Singh, General Manager of Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre, said.
“At Kempinski we have been dedicated to attracting, guiding and supporting the professional growth of our Bahraini employees. It’ll be a pleasure to see our new hoteliers in action showing off the skills they’ve acquired during the programme.”
“The training we have been through enables us to progress in the hospitality industry and it has also opened our minds to the different professions available within hospitality, for example food & beverage and security. He added “The education we received throughout the programme allows us to cross-train in different departments of the hotel, and even if we thought of moving out of this sector at some point in future, we will have a solid base, knowledge and experience to deal with diverse fields,” Ali Faeq a trainee, said
Traditionally the hospitality business hasn’t been a popular career choice among Bahrainis.
Hassan Darwish, room service department trainee, explains “Majority of Bahrain’s society has a somewhat disagreeable perception of working in hotels, and an individual person attempting to clear this misconception to others might convince one or two, however training programmes like this give better results. It’s enlightening on many levels and you learn the inside and out of this field in the classroom and at your daily job; and you can really build a career in hospitality.”
The fresh Bahraini graduates were honoured and received their certificates at a graduation ceremony at the hotel, attended by the parents of the students and representatives from Tamkeen, TWI, William Angliss and Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel Bahrain City Centre.