Overseas training set to boost Omanisation

Harib Harith Al Mahrooqi

In order to help the private sector implement Omanisation, the Ministry of Manpower plans to enhance overseas vocational training in the private sector through a clear-cut policy expected to be introduced early next year, said a ministry official.

As the country is focusing on Omanisation, especially in the private sector, various plans and programmes have been developed, both in government and private sector, under the supervision of the ministry to equip
locals with the necessary work-related skills.

Harib Harith Al Mahrooqi, assistant director general for occupational standards and curriculum department at the Ministry of Manpower, says that all these arrangements are governed by strict and specific policies.
Regulations

Speaking to Times of Oman, Al Mahrooqi, who is responsible for affairs related to private training institutions, said that a bye-law has already been issued, detailing all the rules and regulations, from getting licences to establishing a training centre to evaluating the quality of the training programmes.

However, according to the official, a policy on overseas training is yet to be finalised.

Studies are underway to develop a policy to regulate this issue, he said, adding that the new regulations will only concern the occupations, training for which is not available inside the country.

"Some companies want to train jobseekers. If the training is not available in Oman, we are opening a path to send them abroad. Priority is with training inside the country," Al Mahrooqi noted.

According to him, these courses will be part of the 'national projects' and will be offered in certain occupation categories, including some positions in oil and gas companies, medical institutions and the aviation sector.
Asked when the policy will be introduced, he said that it will be ready in a few months, possibly
by early 2015.

'National projects'
Commenting on 'national projects', he said that they are in line with the Omanisation policy and are funded by the directorate.

"Some companies want to hire jobseekers but they (locals) may not have enough skills. So after an agreement is made that the company wants them, jobseekers are chosen from our database and are trained."

He said that employers have the choice to either choose employees directly from the government training centre or sit with the directorate staff so that the required curriculum can be developed.

Al Mahrooqi also noted that 'on-the-job training' is one of the initiatives of the ministry developed in line with efforts to implement the Omanisation policy.According to him, this kind of training does not require a
training centre. The jobseeker is trained for a certain period of time in the company which wants to hire him under the supervision of the company staff.

The official said that if the salary of the employee each month is OMR450, the directorate FUNDS OMR150 as a stipend for the trainee and the rest has to be paid by the company.

After one year, the directorate will stop providing OMR150 and the company will have to pay the employee's full salary, he added.

Commenting on the effectiveness and quality of the training programmes conducted under the supervision of the ministry, Al Mahrooqi said that there is a quality assurance department at the directorate which classifies and monitors the performance of those providing training services.

Each training institute is allowed to hold certain types of training for certain group of people and for certain period of time, according to their quality ranking, he said.

All in all, the training aspect of Omanisation has been handled properly by the directorate general for occupational standards and curriculum department and all programmes are tailored to suit the needs of the companies and trainees, the official concluded.

Private training supports 3,333 jobseekers
Last year, 3,333 Omanis were trained through the private training programmes held under the supervision of the Ministry of Manpower, according to a ministry official.

There are 386 training institutions across the sultanate, said Engineer Harib Harith Al Mahrooqi, assistant director general for occupational standards and curriculum department.
All these training institutions work under the supervision of the ministry, Al Mahrooqi told Times of Oman.

According to him, there are four types of private training institutions and regulations concerning them have been detailed in a bye-law issued by the directorate.

These four types are private vocational training institutes, private vocational training centres inside establishments, private training services' offices and training units at private educational institutions.

Each of these can hold certain courses for certain trainees and for a specific period of time based on their category and quality ranking in the ministry.

He explained that the first category can implement short courses and training programmes for anybody while the second one can only train the company's staff. If the latter wants to train other people as well, they should get the directorate's approval before proceeding.

The third category is related to those who bring people from abroad and rent space in a HOTEL or any another place and start to offer training, he said, adding that such services can be provided for maximum one week and 25 hours.

And the last group are the private colleges and academic institutions which plan to hold some short courses, the official noted.

Al Mahrooqi also hailed the performance of the directorate, saying that it has been doing its best to meet the demands of both, job seekers and employers.