SOHAR Port and Freezone, in collaboration with its tenants, kicked-off the SOHAR Works Graduate Development Programme through Zoom on November 29. Launched under the patronage of Dr Mahad Said Ali Ba’owain, Minister of Labour, the programme stems from the commitment of SOHAR to support the development of a strong Omani workforce, provide relevant training and increase the generation of job opportunities. This initiative is organised together with the Ministry of Labour and will be managed by Oman Sail (Zimam).

Commenting on the launch of SOHAR Works, Omar Mahmood Al Mahrizi, CEO of SOHAR Freezone – DCEO of SOHAR Port, said, “At SOHAR, we strive to play our part in contributing towards the efforts of the Omani government to generate job opportunities for the youth, in line with the objectives of the Oman Vision 2040. With the support of our tenants, this initiative will enable us to create an interactive business environment by providing the youth in the local community with a first-hand experience at our complex. Additionally, they can also develop the required skills and enhance their knowledge, which will be viable for their careers in the future. ”

The ‘SOHAR Works’ programme has been structured to combine the efforts of relevant employment entities and SOHAR Port and Freezone tenants, to create the foundation of enabling the national workforce to fill job vacancies in the respective companies. The graduates will be a part of a one-year comprehensive development programme conducted in three stages, comprising of seven weeks of behavioural competency development with Zimam, five weeks of technical training with the International Maritime College Oman (IMCO)  and 40 weeks of on-the-job training with the above-mentioned companies.

Khamis Mohammed Al Anbouri, Commercial Manager at Oman Sail, said, “We are pleased to partner with SOHAR Port and Freezone to launch the SOHAR Works initiative. This comprehensive programme brings together on-the-job training and experiential learning, offering a unique proposition to the Omani youth". 

“The main aim of the programme is to enrich the Omani workforce by developing key skills that can boost their job prospects and prepare them for the labour market in line with the objective of Oman`s Vision 2040. Through this initiative, we will be able to provide the local market with qualified and creative young Omani individuals, offer added value to companies and simultaneously contribute to the national economy,” Khamis added.

In its first phase, the programme will see recruiting a number of graduates into 4 companies: VA Tech WABAG, MARAFI, Hutchinson Ports Sohar, and SOHAR Port and Freezone, which will be supervising the programme.

“At SOHAR, we place huge importance on initiatives that support the creation of job opportunities for the Omani youth. The SOHAR Works programme is set to be the umbrella under which we combine our efforts and those of our tenants, with several other governmental entities, including the National Training Fund, Public Authority of Manpower Register, International Maritime College, Ministry of Labour to achieve this goal. I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to all the participating companies for their commitment to the national development objectives, especially with regard to enhancing job opportunities for the youth of this country. I am confident that this will be the first pioneering step in our long-term journey that will bring about positive results in the years to come,” Omar added.

For more information on SOHAR Port and Freezone, visit soharportandfreezone.com