ASRY, the leading shipyard in the Arabian Gulf, is finalising the third phase of its $3.2m Apprenticeship programme, with the next intake of students due imminently. The programme, in association with ECTIB (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, based in UK) is part of a tie-up that also includes the awarding of International Health and Safety Passports (IHSP) to over 1,000 ASRY staff.

In late 2012, ASRY, in association with Tamkeen and the National Institute for Industrial Training, accelerated its Apprenticeship Programme as a new intake of 23 students were inducted into the $3.2m programme. In this project, graduates are being trained in electrical and technical proficiencies in ASRY’s workshops with a view to becoming full-time employees. Apprentices are examined through online based knowledge tests and ASRY-based practical tests, achieving International Competence in Engineering – Construction (ICE) certifications, all overseen by ECTIB. This new intake marked confirmation of the projects success and long-term potential. A third batch is currently being considered which will have a more enhanced structure that focuses more deeply on practical application of theoretical knowledge, with the Apprentices spending more time in ASRY.  The company intends for this programme to form the foundation for establishing an academy in the ship building and repair industry and associated industry where ASRY has concluded partnerships with foreign companies to consolidate Bahrain’s leading role in this field.

Furthermore, ASRY recently issued its 1,000th ECITB International Health and Safety Passport (IHSP)as part of its Award winning safety training programme. Having identified a need to standardise regional yard safety in order to track and improve supervisor-level safety training and development, ASRY developed a yard-specific enhanced safety awareness training course, which takes ECTIB stated minimum requirements and exceeds (or expands upon) them to include ASRY and ship repair-specific HSE considerations using ASRY’s 35+ years of experience. It ran its first course in 2012 and 2013 and comprises four-days of intensive training and embraces all levels of shipyard safety, including Fire and Rescue, Incident Command and Risk Assessment, and is aimed at workers operating within the yard, onboard ships and onboard offshore rigs. More than 1000 workers have attained their IHSP’s, with entry now open to any worker in the maintenance and shiprepair in the Middle East to further standardise and raise standards region-wide. The yard has also seen an 18% reduction in HSE related incidents and the introduction of the IHSP has corresponded with a step change in HSE behavioural improvement.

External institutions are vital to ensuring the company’s Training agenda is recognized and of the highest standard, a selection of which include the University of Bahrain, the Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF), Bahrain Training Institute (BTI), NIIT, and more.