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ARA wins contract to train retailers in Bahrain

Bahrain’s Government has commissioned the ARA Retail Institute to conduct training and consulting to more than 600 trainees in partnership with the Bahrain Institute of Hospitality and Retail (BIHR)

ARA Retail Institute Director Garry Terrill said the initiative is a response to rapid development in the region creating a mass of vacancies in Bahrain's booming retail sector.

"Bahraini businesses have resorted to employing a large number of expatriates due the shortage of skilled Bahrain nationals," Terrill said.

"To address the issue, Bahrain's government appointed the BIHR to upskill Bahrain nationals through training for employment programs in various sectors of its economy under its Labour Fund.

"The BIHR - which works in conjunction with other training providers that possess the necessary expertise - signed an agreement with the Australian Retailer's Association (ARA) to provide Australian-accredited training packages such as Certificate 2 and 3 in Retail Operations and the Diploma in Retail Management."

Terrill confirmed there will be three programs, with the last one concluding in 2009. Overseeing the program is an Australian training consultant who the ARA recruited on behalf of BIHR.

ARA Executive Director Richard Evans said the Bahraini contract is testament to the high standard of the ARA Retail Institute's program.

"The Bahraini Government could have chosen a number of training providers from around the world, but they chose the ARA because of its outstanding reputation. The ARA Retail Institute has been training as a RTO for over 16 years providing professional development to retailers, shopping centres, and government funded projects to name a few. In that time it has facilitated accredited training, workshops and seminars to over 10,000 participants.

"Bahrain's economy is booming. Developments in the pipeline are expected to create thousands of new vacancies and we anticipate this will lead to further ventures with our friends in the Middle East down the track," Evans said.

For over 104 years, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body in Australia's $292 billion retail sector which employs over 1.2 million people. As an incorporated employer body under the Workplace Relations Act and with a range of member services including business consulting, policy development, advocacy and education, the ARA promotes and protects over 5000 independent and national retailers throughout Australia. Visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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