1.WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEW EMPLOYEES AND EXISTING EMPLOYEES?
• Employees are considering New employees if (at the time of the Job Description Application) they have not been hired yet or have been hired and are in the 3 month probation period.
• Employees are considered Existing employees if (at the time of the Job Description Application) they have been employed in the enterprise for longer than 3 months.
2.WHAT IS THE WAGE SUPPORT PROVIDED FOR NEW EMPLOYEES?
• Tamkeen will subsidize the wage of New employees that have been or will be hired in the enterprise. The level of support depends on whether the employee is a fresh graduate or experienced.
• Wage Support for fresh graduate employees: Tamkeen will subsidize 50% or BD 500 (whichever is lower) of the employee’s wage.
• Wage Support for experienced employees: Tamkeen will subsidize 25% or BD 250 (whichever is lower) of the employee’s wage.
3.WHAT IS MEANT BY FRESH GRADUATES AND EXPERIENCED EMPLOYEES?
• Fresh Graduates: Employees are considered Fresh graduates if it has been 2 years or less since they have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree or the next highest obtained degree (Diploma, Secondary School degree)
• Experienced: Employees are considering Experienced if it has been more than 2 years but less than 5 years since they have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree or the next highest obtained degree (Diploma, Secondary School degree)
4.WHAT IS THE WAGE SUPPORT PROVIDED FOR EXISTING EMPLOYEES?
Tamkeen will support a wage increase for the Existing employees. The enterprise will be able to select the desired wage increase in increments of BD 10 starting from a minimum of BD 50. The maximum increment an employee can receive is 50% of the current salary or BD 500 (whichever is lower).
5.DOES IT MATTER IF THE EXISTING EMPLOYEE IS A FRESH GRADUATE / EXPERIENCED?
No, this is only relevant if the employee is a New employee.
6.HOW IS THE TRAINING SUPPORT DETERMINED?
Training Support is determined based on the required Training Courses. Each training course has a fixed support amount determined by Tamkeen. If the enterprise knows the required training courses for its employee(s) they can select the required courses at the Employee Application stage.
If the enterprise requires assistance in determining the required training courses, it can opt to go through the Training Needs Analysis Process. Through this process, the enterprise and Tamkeen will determine and agree upon the required competencies for each employee. Based on this the enterprise will be able to select the required training courses for its employees. All of the training courses provided through Tamkeen will have a support cap that is determined after an evaluation of each training course.
7.WHAT IS THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE TRAINING AND WAGE SUPPORT SERVICE?
Enterprises’ eligibility criteria:
• Valid Commercial Registration (CR)
• Operating in Bahrain
Employees’ eligibility criteria:
• Bahraini national
• Registered with GOSI
8.WHAT IS MEANT BY THE JOB DESCRIPTION APPLICATION?
This is information regarding the position for which you would like to obtain support. The application form shall include questions regarding the specific job. The Employer must answer these questions in order to proceed with the application.
9.WHAT ARE THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?
The required documents for Job Description information are:
• Job Description
The required documents for the Employee Enrollment are:
• Employee Smart Card copy
• Employment Contract
• Employee GOSI registration
• Salary Slip
10.HOW MANY EMPLOYEES CAN AN ENTERPRISE ENROLL IN THE SERVICE?
There is no restriction on the number of employees an enterprise can enroll, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria.
11.HOW FREQUENTLY CAN AN ENTERPRISE APPLY FOR THIS SERVICE?
An Enterprise can re-apply to the service for different employees at any time.
12.ARE ENTERPRISE OWNERS ELIGIBLE TO BENEFIT FROM THIS SERVICE?
Yes, they are. However, enterprise owners are not eligible for wage support, and may benefit again from the program after 12 months from completing the training course.
13.WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM PERIOD ALLOWED FOR COMPLETING THE TRAINING COURSE(S)?
All training must be completed within 12 months from the Personal Development Plan approval date.
14.WHEN DOES TAMKEEN’S WAGE SUPPORT COMMENCE?
In the case of Existing employees, the wage increase will commence immediately after completion of the training course(s).
In the case of New employees, the wage subsidy will commence once the employees enroll in the training course.
15.WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM REQUIRED SALARIES TO ENROLL NEW EMPLOYEES THROUGH THE SCHEME?
For New employees the minimum required salaries in order to enroll through TWS are:
• High School Graduates (or lower): BD 320
• Diploma holders: BD 400
• Bachelor holders: BD 450
16.WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM REQUIRED SALARIES TO ENROLL EXISTING EMPLOYEES THROUGH THE SCHEME?
For Existing employees the wage increment must increase the employee’s salary to meet or exceed the below minimum required salaries
• High School Graduates (or lower): BD 320
• Diploma holders: BD 400
• Bachelor holders: BD 450
17.CAN AN ENTERPRISE ENROLL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE BEING SUPPORTED THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF LABOR EMPLOYEE SUPPORT SCHEME?
Employees enrolled in the Ministry of Labor’s Wage Support Scheme can obtain ‘Training Only’ support from Tamkeen