Skilling up Oman's manufacturing sector

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is a key enabler of Oman’s Manufacturing Strategy 2040, supporting the development of a skilled national workforce capable of responding to the changing needs of industry. The strategy identifies human capital development and the availability of relevant technical skills as important foundations for achieving key industrial outcomes, including higher productivity, competitiveness, technological advancement and employment opportunities. As Oman moves towards more diversified, technology-intensive and higher-value manufacturing, strengthening the alignment between technical education, training and industry will become increasingly important.
The development of TVET should therefore be driven by the actual and evolving skills requirements of the manufacturing sector. This requires regular assessments of skills needs and training practices across priority and high-tech industries, with particular attention to digital skills, automation and emerging technologies. Such assessments can help identify skills gaps, guide the design of targeted training programmes and determine the specialisations required by industry, including chemical engineering, mechatronics and electrical engineering.
A stronger relationship between vocational education and industry is equally important. Vocational secondary schools serving priority and high-tech sectors can combine general education with technical and vocational learning, while providing students with meaningful work-based learning opportunities. Greater industry participation in curriculum development, advisory boards, internships and student supervision would help ensure that graduates acquire practical skills that reflect the requirements of real manufacturing environments.
This industry connection should extend across the wider training ecosystem. Oman can strengthen collaboration between public and private training institutions and the industrial sector, creating more flexible pathways for developing skills in line with market demand. Partnerships with the Industrial Innovation Academy can support TVET programmes in industrial areas, while cooperation with Riyada can provide training and capacity-building opportunities for SMEs. Private technical institutes can further complement public institutions by addressing skills gaps in specialised areas that may not be sufficiently covered by existing training provision.
Another priority is to establish technical training programmes at basic, intermediate and advanced levels for priority and high-tech industries. These programmes should be based on occupational standards and continuously updated to reflect emerging skills, technological developments and international trends. Expanding in-company training, internships and apprenticeship programmes would further strengthen the practical capabilities of trainees and facilitate their transition from education and training into productive manufacturing employment.
Industry-specific training centres can provide an additional mechanism for responding directly to current and future workforce requirements. Such centres can be developed in partnership with manufacturing companies and designed around their specific technical and operational needs. At the same time, stronger links between companies and universities can support recruitment, internships, applied research, innovation, knowledge transfer and the development of specialised talent.
Looking ahead, TVET must also anticipate the skills required by the future of manufacturing. The increasing importance of digitalisation, automation, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies makes it essential to continuously assess future skills requirements and use the findings to inform training programmes. This will help Oman move from a reactive approach to skills development towards a more forward-looking national TVET and future-skills system capable of anticipating industrial transformation.
The strategic importance of this agenda is reinforced by the scale and diversity of Oman’s manufacturing workforce. The sector employs around a quarter of a million workers, including approximately 50,000 Omanis, across a broad spectrum of occupations, functions and levels of technical specialisation. These workers are distributed across a diverse industrial landscape, spanning manufacturing activities and industrial locations that include industrial estates, free zones and economic zones across Oman. This expanding and increasingly diverse industrial base generates sustained demand for a wide range of skilled occupations, including technicians, engineers, machine operators, maintenance specialists, supervisors, digital and automation specialists, and other technical professionals. Meeting this demand requires a strong, responsive and industry-oriented vocational training system that can continuously develop and upgrade the skills required by manufacturers.
In this context, Oman’s eight government vocational colleges, distributed across several governorates, play an important role in building the national technical skills base. With around 5,000 students, these colleges provide practical, skills-based education designed to equip young Omanis with technical competencies aligned with labour market requirements. Their role can be further strengthened through closer and more systematic engagement with manufacturing companies. Stronger industry partnerships can help ensure that programmes, specialisations, equipment, curricula and practical training remain aligned with current and future industrial needs, while creating clearer pathways from vocational education into employment.
Given the scale and changing nature of manufacturing, TVET should not be viewed only as a mechanism for preparing young people for their first job. It should also provide continuous upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the existing workforce, enabling employees to adapt to new technologies, improve productivity and progress into higher-value occupations. A flexible system that serves workers at different stages of their careers and responds to the requirements of different industries, companies and industrial locations will be essential to meeting the evolving needs of Oman’s manufacturing sector.
Ultimately, investing in technical and vocational training is not simply an investment in education; it is an investment in Oman’s industrial competitiveness, productivity and human capital. A TVET system closely connected to industry can provide manufacturers with the skills they require, accelerate the adoption of new technologies, improve workforce productivity and create stronger and more sustainable employment pathways for Omanis. Strengthening cooperation among government institutions, education and training providers, universities and the private sector will therefore be essential to building the skilled workforce required for the continued growth, diversification and transformation of Oman’s manufacturing sector.