Bahrain’s startups often say “talent is the bottleneck”, but building job readiness takes more than a degree and a polished LinkedIn profile. That’s the gap the AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation (MKF) set out to address through its Rayaat Scholarship Program, hosting the “Rayaat Al Watan” Forum under the theme “Design Your Future” across two dates (January 20 and January 24, 2026) at the Foundation’s headquarters.

As covered by the Gulf Daily News report on the forum, the event focused on equipping participants with labour-market skills and preparing them for job interviews, while creating direct touchpoints with employers and sector representatives. In parallel, the Southern Governorate’s official coverage highlighted the forum’s emphasis on practical readiness, career development, and exposure to workplace expectations, positioning it as a structured step between academic life and employment.

MKF framed the forum’s concept around origami as a metaphor for growth: transforming potential into capability through structure, repetition, and feedback. The initiative targeted MKF graduates seeking employment or aiming to advance professionally, as well as university students affiliated with the Foundation.

Content-wise, the program concentrated on three themes that map neatly to what founders and employers keep asking for: artificial intelligence and its apical messages for launching a professional career, and how to build a future career path from design through execution. Those themes were reinforced through preparatory mentorship sessions delivered by specialists including Dr. Faisal Hammad (Assistant Undersecretary for Compmic Indicators at the Ministry of Finance and National Economy), Ms. Noor BuAli (Executive Vice President for Tax Operations and Compliance at the National Revenue Authority), and Ms. Safaa Sharif Abdulkhaleq (CEO of Bahrain Exports), among others.

Panels and workshops leaned into “do the work” guidance: a panel on Building Transferable Skills, another on **The Importance of Artificial Intelligenc*, plus hands-on sessions such as a CV Clinic, a mock interview workshop delivered by General Assembly Bahrain, and a communication workshop run by Skills Bahrain Initiative under Tamkeen. The forum also included employer engagement with participating entities such as Al Salam Bank, ASRY, Naseej, Almoayyed Contracting Group, Tamkeen – Job Plusvestments Group, Royal Bahrain Hospital, Jahez, Hilton Garden Inn Bahrain Bay, Gulf Air Group, Gulf Air, and Bahrain Airport Company.

For Bahrain’s startup ecosystem, the takeaway is straightforward: the fastest way to strengthen hiring pipelines is to meet talent before they’re on the mapractice real hiring moments (CV screening, interviews, communication, and applied AI literacy). Forums like Rayaat Al Watan make that kind of early connection easier, and more repeatable.