Nasser al Wahaibi was not sure what he would do after his high school education. But his father, a retired motor mechanic from the army, was aware of his son’s talent and aptitude.
After his post-basic education, Nasser joined a vocational training centre on his father’s advice and successfully completed his diploma in fire safety engineering. Now he is employed in a private company earning a four-digit salary.
“During my training, it is not only that I acquired technical skills, but also absorbed knowledge and ability to understand what I need to do as an employee,” says Nasser.
Vocational training plays an important role in preparing and qualifying Omani youths to meet the country’s needs for a qualified national workforce in various vocational and technical areas.
Although technical and vocational education and training were not very attractive to youth till a few years back, they are now slowly and steadily becoming a major success.
The Ministry of Manpower represented by the Directorate-General of Vocational Training has developed vocational training programmes which keep abreast of the requirements of the Omani labour market for a skilled and semi-skilled national workforce.
A range of specialisations such as engineering, information technology, business, applied sciences, pharmacy, photography and fashion design are offered by different colleges in the Sultanate.
The courses are aimed at developing high quality national human resources by preparing and qualifying secondary school graduates.
Also, the ministry, in cooperation and coordination with the labour market, offers an array of programmes and majors that match the market’s needs for technical and vocational skills.
The ministry has strong links with different key strategic partners in private and public sectors as well as in education and training spheres in the aim of making sure of the quality of all training programmes.
Academics and experts find many school graduates now being attracted to technical education,
making it their first or second choice amongst other higher education institutes.
“Most students who pass out from technical institutes don’t have issues about settling in jobs once
they find the right opportunity,” opines Mohamed al Hinai, an academic with Sultan Qaboos University.
But what happens often is that bad advice and unrealistic expectations of doing businesses overshadow their abilities, he says.
Adding to the problem is the preference by the youngsters to join government jobs.
“What is positive now is that there is a growing realisation among some students with the support of their parents and teachers that they choose careers of their interest so that they could better prepare them for the future,” Mohamed adds.
Technical education in Oman first began with an initial student enrolment of 65 male and female students. Now, the annual average number of students is 10,000 male and female students who graduated with a
General Education Diploma, accounting for 38 per cent of all students enrolled under government coverage in Oman.
The number of enrolled students in all of the seven colleges of technology is 40,000 male and female students.
During the 2015/2016 academic year, there were 5,485 graduates across all disciplines.
The colleges of technologies aim to deliver high-quality student-based higher education to build the capacities of competitive, confident graduates and furnish them with robust technical knowledge and competencies and a strong character.
This will qualify them to lead a successful life and to effectively contribute to the country’s development.
National Hospitality Institute is a leading provider of quality vocational training for the hospitality, catering and travel industries in the Gulf region.
According to its principal Robert McLean, youngsters must understand the real requirements of the job market.
“It isn’t always about knowledge of a subject, but how to use that knowledge in a working capacity,” he told Observer in a recent interview.
With the number of visitors arriving in the Sultanate showing a steady increase and many international brands opening their hotels, the hospitality sector will be able to accommodate a large number of Omanis in jobs.
With a choice of several hotels, employment opportunities are aplenty. The skills gained by working in the hospitality industry have proved to be a great way of developing people even when they shift to other industries,” he said.
There’s a growing realisation now that giving students the chance to try out their chosen careers early on can better prepare them for the future.
Samuel Kutty
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