One of the most comprehensive surveys to assess the public awareness and stakeholders’ participation in Tamkeen activities will start rolling this week with the signing of an agreement between change-maker organisation Tamkeen and international management consultancy group Third Wave International S.P.C. (TWI).

The survey has been designed to gauge the public's opinion on Tamkeen's initiatives and collect and analyse feedback from the community on whether Tamkeen’s communication strategy is informative and clearly addresses Tamkeen’s initiatives and activities.  The findings of the comprehensive survey will be used to enhance and develop Tamkeen’s marketing and communications strategy for the next couple of years.

Working with a multi-layered approach, TWI has outlined a plan in co-ordination with Tamkeen which will divide the market into different segments and use different approaches to get feedback. From face-to-face interviews to e-mail interviews and telephonic responses, TWI plans to engage more than 1,000 stakeholders, using Tamkeen’s extensive database and its own reach in the community.  Focus  groups will also be held to encourage interactive public participation.

The agreement between Tamkeen and TWI was signed between Chief Executive of Tamkeen Abdulellah Al Qassimi and TWI Director Client Relations, Charmaine de S Wijeyeratne

“Tamkeen is at the vanguard of change management and it is vital for us to keep track of how much of our message is being received and acted upon by our audience – which is really everybody in the Kingdom,” said Mr. Al Qassimi, “Since we started work, we have maintained that clear and scientific data is vital to the understanding and planning of issues and strategies. We proved the efficacy of painstaking research and information with our Skills Gaps Survey which painted a clearer picture of the workplace of the future. Now with this survey on Tamkeen’s initiatives and its communication strategy effectiveness, we hope to hone our strengths and work out any knots in perceptions of our work and objectives.”

Tamkeen is a key enabler of the Kingdom’s pioneering labour reform movement and works to provide training, guidance and financial support to companies, entrepreneurs and enterprises and Bahrainis so that they can play a leading role in translating the leadership’s Vision 2030 development matrix into reality.

“Tamkeen has used extensive conventional and non-conventional methods to reach its message of change to the public.  In its initial launch, it has been aggressive with above-the-line activities and intensive public relation and public affairs activities,” commented Tamkeen Marketing Communications Manager, Hala Suleiman, “Since our work is pioneering in nature, it has been a learning curving in defining it, capturing stakeholder imagination and driving action towards change. By undertaking this extensive survey we hope to gauge how effective our communications have been and design a way forward for at least the next two years.”

The eight-week project is expected to begin shortly and conclude by the end of April this year.

TWI’s Managing Director Stefan Moraes said his organisation was keen to leverage its expertise in the arena and work closely with Tamkeen.

“We have grassroots experience in working with development organisations and we hope to translate this expertise into a body of data that Tamkeen can use to harness public opinion and effect change,” he said.