MUSCAT: The Oman Energy Association (OPAL) has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Takamul Holding Company to enhance professional accreditation systems, develop competency verification mechanisms and raise workforce standards across Oman’s energy and industrial sectors.
Signed in Muscat in the presence of the Ministry of Labour, the agreement focuses on implementing OPAL’s professional licensing framework while introducing advanced digital solutions to assess and verify workers’ skills prior to entering the Omani labour market.
The partnership aims to strengthen labour market regulation, support Omanisation targets and ensure that recruited professionals meet internationally recognised competency benchmarks. By integrating Takamul’s expertise in digital testing platforms and professional assessment systems, the collaboration will enhance the reliability and efficiency of skills verification processes across multiple occupational categories.
OPAL officials highlighted that the initiative represents a key step towards building a transparent, competency-based professional environment that aligns workforce qualifications with sectoral requirements. The agreement also promotes regional cooperation by enabling smoother transfer of technical expertise and professional standards across GCC markets.
Under the cooperation framework, both parties will work on integrating approved occupational standards into the examination system, developing question banks aligned with industry requirements and exploring the establishment of accredited testing centres in labor-sending countries. These centres will operate under unified operational controls and quality assurance frameworks to ensure consistent assessment outcomes.
Industry stakeholders note that strengthening accreditation and licensing systems is critical for improving productivity, enhancing safety performance and increasing competitiveness across Oman’s energy, logistics and infrastructure sectors. The OPAL–Takamul partnership is therefore expected to play a significant role in upgrading workforce capabilities while supporting the Sultanate of Oman’s long-term human capital development agenda under Oman Vision 2040. — ONA
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