In preparation for issuing a decision to regulate licenses, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development holds a consultative meeting with the authorities concerned with licensing heavy equipment oper

04-10-2019

The Ministry of Labour and Social Development held a consultative meeting with several companies and training institutes involved in heavy‑equipment operation and occupational health and safety training. The meeting forms part of the Ministry’s ongoing coordination with its partners in preparation for a ministerial decree regulating the issuance of heavy‑equipment operator licences in the Kingdom of Bahrain. During the meeting, Dr Esam Ismail Al Alawi, Director of Training and Manpower Development, emphasised that the session was an opportunity to solicit the views of partners specialising in heavy‑equipment operation—across private training institutions and operating companies—before issuing the decision, with a view to setting appropriate mechanisms and procedures that ensure optimal implementation and support sector development. Al Alawi outlined concepts and mechanisms related to heavy‑equipment operator licensing, noting that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development is the competent authority for granting licences to practise this profession. He added that anyone practising heavy‑equipment operation must obtain a licence from the Ministry after completing a training period, in order to enhance occupational safety and health at work sites. Al Alawi further indicated that a ministerial decision regulating the licensing process—together with advanced, specialised training programmes—will help provide qualified national manpower to operate all types of heavy‑equipment cranes. He stressed the importance of companies and institutions in this field, ensuring that workers engaged in heavy‑equipment lifting obtain a licence to practise the profession. He also underlined the need for workers to transition to a fully professional stage in these occupations, reflecting the development and qualitative shift in the labour market and positively impacting productivity levels. Representatives from Agora Institute and “Sarens Nass” reviewed their cooperation with the Ministry during the pilot phase to implement the decision, by training a number of job seekers to obtain a licence to practise heavy‑equipment lifting from the Ministry in cooperation with accredited international bodies. The programme aimed to qualify participants and equip them with precise skills that enhance their professional capabilities to fill these positions, which offer generous monthly wages ranging from 350 to 700 Bahraini dinars, with support from the Labour Fund (Tamkeen). All members of the first batch of trainees who passed the training programme were employed by Sarens Nass Company, enabled by their newly obtained licences to practise.