Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan has stated the government’s target is to train 1,200 people for the employment market every year.
The minister made the remarks while speaking at the ceremony held to award contracts to conduct technical and vocational courses under the Skills for a Resilient Workforce programme.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Higher Education Minister said the government is undertaking several efforts to train more locals for the employment market and to fill the jobs vacated by expatriates amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Noting the government cannot establish a capable workforce without the support of educational and training institutions, the minister said the government is working closely with such institutions to train locals in essential areas for national development. He added the target is to train 1,200 people for the employment market every year.
The Higher Education Minister noted a large number of expatriates who were working in the Maldivian tourism industry have left the country following the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, he said a special priority is being given to train locals for the tourism industry, and to ensure the vacated jobs are filled by locals.
Ministry of Higher Education contracted the operations of the Skills for a Resilient Workforce programme to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Villa College and Male’ Fitness Club. Under the programme, 1,200 people will be trained across 7 sectors every year. This includes 600 people in the field of tourism, 200 people in the field of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and 400 people in the field of tourism-related construction. The government targets to ensure atleast 33% of these slots are filled by women.
Skills for a Resilient Workforce programme was initiated in 2019, based on an employment market research conducted by the Higher Education Ministry. The programme was launched under the assistance of World Bank.