Skills Bahrain, an initiative under the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), has wrapped up the first phase of a national awareness campaign with the Ministry of Education on future jobs and in demand specializations for secondary school students in Bahrain. More than 5,000 male and female students from 38 public schools took part in interactive sessions delivered across all governorates.

The campaign is built around the Employability Skills Portal, a national data platform that shows labour market trends, high demand occupations, salary ranges, and education pathways across key sectors. The portal aggregates official data on skills supply and demand and presents it through interactive dashboards for students, parents, employers, and education providers, including statistics on private sector Bahraini employment, which the portal shows reached 105,035 as of the second quarter of 2025 based on Social Insurance Organization data.

According to a recent announcement from Tamkeen, the first phase of the campaign focused on helping students read these dashboards, connect them to their own interests, and see how national development priorities translate into concrete job roles and study choices. The same figures were echoed in Bahrain News Agency coverage, which highlighted how the sessions are part of a broader effort to prepare young Bahrainis for a changing labour market.

Commenting on the initiative, Ibrahim Ali Al Burshaid, Assistant Undersecretary for Education at the Ministry of Education, said: “This joint campaign reflects the Ministry’s commitment to raising students’ awareness of labour market requirements and empowering them to plan early for their future careers. Through strategic partnerships with national entities, including Skills Bahrain, we are working to prepare students for fields and skills that align with Bahrain’s development priorities.” Amer Marhoon, Managing Director of Skills Bahrain, added: “We believe in the importance of providing students and parents with reliable information that supports thoughtful academic and career planning. Our collaboration with the Ministry of Education is a key step in reinforcing the value of aligning students’ interests with labour market needs, helping them understand their aspirations while contributing to the competitiveness of Bahrain’s economy.”

The campaign also sits within a wider national skills agenda. Earlier this year, Tamkeen and the Bahrain Economic Development Board outlined shared national action plan priorities under the Bahrain Skills and Gender Parity Accelerator, focused on emerging jobs and sector specific skills needs that support investment and growth. At the same time, the government has been expanding digital and AI focused training programmes in partnership with Tamkeen to prepare Bahrainis for technology driven roles across sectors.

Global and regional trends suggest that students are increasingly looking for shorter, skills based pathways as a complement to traditional degrees. A recent feature in News of Bahrain reported that enrollment in General Assembly Bahrain’s part time courses surged 40 percent in 2025, offering three to six month paths to junior roles with placement rates nearing 80 percent. For founders and employers, initiatives like this schools campaign and the Employability Skills Portal expand the pipeline of young talent that already understands where demand is growing, making it easier to build teams locally instead of looking abroad.

As the first phase concludes, the next step for students, parents, and even startup teams is simple. Spend time exploring the Employability Skills Portal, check how current subject choices and hiring plans match the data, and use that insight to shape upcoming study, training, and recruitment decisions while Skills Bahrain and national partners prepare the next round of activities in schools.