Asry staff at work

ASRY, the leading ship and rig repair yard in the Arabian Gulf, has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Labour in which the company will employ 15 jobseekers, who are graduates of the technical secondary level and have participated in the ministry’s “Assistant Electrical Maintenance”, programme falling within its scheme, “I Build my Country with my Own Hands”.

The agreement was signed by the Ministry of Labour’s undersecretary, Subah Salem Al Doseri, and Asry’s CEO, Nils Kristian Berge. A number of ministry and company officials were present.

In a statement, Al Doseri, pointed out that the agreement comes within the framework of recruiting and developing jobseekers within the private sector and that similar initiatives will follow over the coming period so that the ministry will be able to proceed with recruitment plans that aim to provide employment opportunities for 10,000 jobseekers. He valued the cooperation of Asry to recruit the first batch upon completion of the designed training programme. He called upon other companies to follow suite within the national responsibility of the private sector in employing Bahraini nationals.

Al Doseri added that the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) has already started training this group of jobseekers and will do so until September for a total of 2,880 training hours including classroom tuition at the EWA’s Training Centre in Sitra and on-the-job practical training at Asry. “Signing this agreement today signifies the start of actual recruitment of this group”, he said.

The official also stated that the trainees will obtain various internationally recognised electrical licences, which will enable them to work in the company where they had received training or in any other company. “The ministry will provide training and development for 100 other jobseekers in this occupation within the “I Build my Country with my Own Hands” vocational training scheme, which targets 500 jobseekers holding secondary level certificates or lower. They will be trained by the EWA in disciplines such as cable connections, electrical wiring and plumbing.

The Ministry of Labour commenced the “I Build my Country with my Own Hands” scheme as part of an overall project to provide employment for Bahrainis. The programme is intended to prepare jobseekers for targeted technical and occupational positions within private sector organisations. They will attend classroom tuition and field training according to each discipline in the companies with which agreements have been reached. Classroom tuition will be provided in coordination with specialised training institutes.

Founded in 1977 in Bahrain, Asry has over 35 years of experience in marine asset optimisation. Its leading range of facilities includes a 500,000 dwt drydock, two floating docks of 252 m and 227 m  length, 15 repair berths with a total length of approximately 4,000 m, twin 255 m slipways as well as a full range of workshops and service centres. The yard’s portfolio of capabilities is not only the largest in the Arabian Gulf, but also includes jack-up rigs and other offshore assets due to a dedicated division – Asry Offshore Services. Combined with a series of other diversifications including the New Construction & Engineering Division for marine engineering packages, Asry is a multi-functional marine services hub committed to providing international standards to global shipowners operating in the Arabian Gulf.