The changing face of the global labour market heightens the need for educators to guide students in their course selections and encourage them to weigh up how today’s choices could impact tomorrow’s job prospects, according to the Director of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF).
Garry Muriwai told the global publishing, research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG) that the ongoing process of programme development and enhancement in education needed to reflect the evolving demands of the job market both locally and internationally.
“The world is constantly changing and so are the skills requirements of companies that hire graduates,” he said. “Educators must make sure that young people are aware of the opportunities in Bahrain’s education sector and how those opportunities will help them obtain jobs.”
Muriwai was talking to OBG as part of the compilation of research for The Report: Bahrain 2012, the Group’s forthcoming guide on the Kingdom’s economic activity and investment opportunities. The 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.
The director said that the rapid increase in the number of education institutions opening their doors in Bahrain highlighted the key, monitoring role earmarked for the Quality Assurance Authority (QAA), given the Kingdom’s hopes of becoming a regional education hub. “Bahrain has enormous potential to become a centre for educational excellence in the region,” he said, “however academic excellence and quality must be pursued vigorously and continuously to ensure its future success.”
He also voiced his hope that Bahrain would follow international trends by recognising the pivotal part business advisory groups could play in strengthening relationships between employers, educators and students. “Advisory groups ensure that educators adapt programmes to meet the changing needs of employers,” he said. “They can also make students aware of current opportunities in the current job market.”
Muriwai said that teachers of business-related courses in Bahrain should soon be able to improve their skills through online training programmes being developed by the BIBF. He explained that the packages, which will cover a range of courses including accounting, economics and business, are aimed at fully preparing high school students for the next stage of their education.
“An improved knowledge of their subject matter will help high school teaching staff better deliver the material to their students,” he said. “This is the most proactive way to ensure that high school graduates are up to speed before they enter higher learning institutions such as the BIBF.”
While proficiency in English remains a primary requirement among recruiters in the financial sector, Muriwai highlighted the importance that the industry was now attaching to business ethics. “This is an area identified by the finance industry where there was a mismatch between the skill sets of recent graduates and their requirements for employment,” he said. “The BIBF therefore developed a course in business ethics at the request of the local finance industry.”
The Report: Bahrain 2012 will mark the culmination of more than six months of on-the-ground research by a team of analysts from the Group. It will provide information on opportunities for foreign direct investment into the Kingdom’s economy and will act as a guide to the many facets of the country including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and sectoral developments. The Report: Bahrain 2012 will be available in print form or online.