10,000 trained Omanis to fill managerial posts

Energy Tuesday 25/June/2019 19:42 PM
By: Times News Service
10,000 trained Omanis to fill managerial posts

Muscat: Up to 10,000 Omani middle level managers are expected to take part in a new initiative announced by the Ministry of Manpower which will develop senior bosses and executives to lead Oman towards a new economic future.
Iitimad (reliance), a new programme aims to train 10,000 Omani managers, is headed by the Ministry of Manpower and Tanfeedh and is expected to create a new generation of leaders to fill a gap in the supply of Omani senior managers. Shahswar Al Balushi, the head of Tanfeedh’s labour labs, told Times of Oman: “I see this as a way to create a new generation of leaders in the private sector. If you take the number of existing managers who have acquired some level of experience by joining the companies as junior leaders and then get them trained up, then yes, you’re creating leadership
for Oman.”
The intention of the programme is to develop and upscale middle management teams in companies to increase their leadership capabilities in their field of work, he added.
On Sunday, the Minister of Manpower met with senior businessmen and board members in order to introduce them to the programme and its intended benefits.
A statement by the Ministry of Manpower read: “Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, the Minister of Manpower, has met with a group of the Boards of Directors and representatives of the largest companies in the private sector in order to introduce them to the National Programme for Leader Development and Empowerment of Omani Middle and Higher Management in the Private Sector (Iitimad), which will be launched in the coming period.”
“The Ministry of Manpower launched Iitimad to empower Omani middle and higher managers and raise the percentage of Omanis in these sectors of companies,” the statement added.
Speaking about the training opportunities, Al Balushi said: “The managers are expected to return to their companies after their training, move up and fill a gap in management, where we can bring more Omanis into that part of the workforce.”
“If the programme can be provided locally then it’s even better. I think it’ll be more cost effective and, in time, the trainers themselves can be Omani,” he added.
According to Al Balushi, it is currently still difficult to give an exact price and time-frame for the programme, as it will depend on participants and the exact training they will undergo.
The number of Omanis occupying the positions of Administrators, Directors, and Managers in private sector companies is rising faster than the same
percentage among expats, leading to hopes that more Omanis will occupy these positions in the future.
According to the NCSI, there were 29,282 Omani Administrators, Directors, and Managers in the Private Sector in May
2019, up 11.5 per cent from the previous year.
Meanwhile, there were 37,960 expats occupying these positions in April 2019, up only 2.1 per cent from April 2018.
The programme, according to the Ministry, will see Takatuf Oman work in coordination with The Centre for Creative Leaders. The CCL, according to an online statement, has worked with global brands such as Graymont and Mars, for which it has earned an award from the European Foundation for Management Development.