As part of its strategic direction to upskill national talent with emerging skills in the labour market, the Labour Fund “Tamkeen” announced its support for the recruitment and training of Bahrainis in Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with His Highness Shaikh Nasser Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Centre.
This collaboration will enhance the Centre’s position as the first center for Artificial Intelligence (AI) research in the Kingdom, which was established with the aim of finding solutions in AI that serve both the public and private sectors by working with reputable academics and students from universities and higher educational institutions in a unified location to provide mentorship, research, and innovative artificial intelligence solutions. The Centre has been recognised for its work in this field, having won the Best Artificial Intelligence in Education award at the Gulf and Middle East Information Technology Exhibition and Conference (GITEX) that took place in Dubai last year.
On this occasion, Tamkeen’s Acting Chief Executive, Maha Mofeez said: “We are honoured to collaborate with HH Shaikh Nasser Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Centre to find innovative AI solutions and enhance the skills of local talent, in line with one of our main objectives of making Bahrainis the employee of choice by upskilling them with the emerging skills required in the rapidly changing labor market, and creating a new generation of youth with the highest technical capabilities which will enable them to compete locally and internationally.”
The Executive Director of HH Shaikh Nasser Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Centre, Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al Noaimi, praised this collaboration, commenting: “We value Tamkeen’s commitment to developing local talent in artificial intelligence and jobs of the future due to the promising opportunities it offers both individuals and enterprises. This cooperation underpins some of the main objectives of the center which include developing innovative AI solutions and providing the labor market with qualified professionals who are capable of enhancing the efficiency of the Bahraini workforce within various sectors in the Kingdom.”
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2020 predicted that 85 million jobs will be displaced by automation and technology advancements by 2025, however this offers greater opportunities for the development of new jobs and roles as humans, robots, and machines increasingly work together.
This collaboration follows a series of strategic partnerships and initiatives launched by Tamkeen recently such as the previously announced initiative to train and employ Bahraini actuaries in the insurance sector with the purpose of developing the national workforce and enhancing their skills through training opportunities that address the skill gaps in the market. This is in line with one of Tamkeen’s main objectives which is making Bahrainis the first choice of employment in the labor market. These strategic partnerships and initiatives also come alongside 16 programs which Tamkeen launched earlier this year as part of a comprehensive organization-wide transformation initiative that focuses on driving greater economic impact in Bahrain.
