Tamkeen announces marketing training programme to add value to Bahraini jobs potential

To help Bahrainis hone their marketing skills and build a profitable career in marketing, Tamkeen has launched marketing certificate and diploma programmes that will be conducted by a consortium of three training companies led by Berlitz.

A signing ceremony was held to formally launch the programme and the signatories were Tamkeen’s Vice President for Enterprise & Human Capital Development, Dr. Ahmed Al Shaikh and Berlitz Director Mr. Manaf Khalid Al Aani.

The BD1,400,000 programme will deliver the internationally-recognised Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) qualification to a targeted 400 Bahrainis over 4 years. The beneficiaries will range from school-leavers who will take the CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing and graduates and already-employed Bahrainis who will be offered the CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing. The programme is spread over 8 months of full-time schedules for school-leavers and graduates while employed Bahrainis will do the Professional Certificate course as a six-month, part-time course.

The programme targets different groups and each group will cover different topics besides the CIM certification. For school graduates, besides the soft skills designed by Berlitz, the CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing will help to define the profile of a marketing career. It answers the question: What is marketing? But it also aims to develop knowledge and skills in basic marketing tasks.

“The CIM certification is an internationally-respected value addition to career prospects in marketing and fits Tamkeen’s continuous efforts to add depth to qualifications and careers for Bahrainis. The main advantage of Berlitz’s training approach is that it combines the strengths of two other organizations, Azrek (recruitment consultants) and Cambridge Professional Academy from the UK, as a consortium, which can both play a very critical role in the success of this project,”

said Tamkeen’s Vice President for Enterprise and Human Capital Development, Dr. Ahmed AbdulGhani AlShaikh

Added Tamkeen’s Senior Manager – Human Capital Development, Amal Kooheji, “All trainers will be certified and will be jointly selected by Tamkeen and Berlitz, the training provider. For the CIM qualifications, certified trainers from Cambridge Professional Academy, the provider of the educational services and the holders of the Chartered Institute of Marketing accreditation, will teach the courses.”

For graduates and employees, the CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing gives the practical skills and knowledge to devise and execute tactical marketing activities and gain marketing credibility.

Once qualified, Bahrainis can expect starting salaries ranging for entry-level high school graduates and for entry-level undergraduates. Sectors specifically targeted are telecommunications, insurance, electronics, manufacturing, medical and financial marketing.

“This marketing qualifications initiative will undoubtedly give Bahrainis a much-needed advantage in a tight employment market,” said Berlitz Director Manaf Al Aani, “Thanks to the consortium approach, trainees will get the best of three organizations: Berlitz, Azrek (recruitment consultants) and the Cambridge Professional Academy from the UK. The training will combine the international breadth of the CIM with a focused ‘local needs’ approach that will tailor the course to the Bahrain workplace needs.”