• Participants will get the opportunity to bid for projects and compete in a global market

Manama: The Labour Fund (Tamkeen) has announced a strategic partnership with the world-renowned platform Freelancer.com to prepare and equip Bahraini freelancers with the knowledge and skills required to compete in the freelancing landscape both locally and internationally. Through this partnership Tamkeen will offer a unique training program designed by Freelancer.com as well as enroll them on the platform.

This partnership will provide Bahrainis with the opportunity to join a training program that consists of three main stages covering the key skills related to freelancing and a chance to receive on-the-job training under the guidance of experts. At the end of the program, participants will have the opportunity to submit bids and proposals for real projects through the platform and compete in a global market to win these projects, with specialized supervision and guidance.

Freelancer.com is the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by number of users and jobs posted. The platform connects over 74 million freelancers and businesses from more than 247 countries around the world. It offers freelancers the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills and to search for projects and freelancing jobs that match their specialized skills. It is worth mentioning that there are over 400 million people working as freelancers worldwide which represents up to 12% of the global labor market as of 2023 according to the World Bank.

Commenting on this initiative, Her Excellency Ms. Maha Abdulhameed Mofeez, Chief Executive of the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), emphasized the importance of keeping up with global changes in the labor market and empowering national talent to benefit from the promising opportunities they create. She stated: "Rapid technological advancements have opened doors for freelancers seeking to engage in freelancing work, facilitating access to projects and clients both locally and globally. This has allowed freelancers to gain diverse experiences and work flexibly according to their needs. Therefore, we are collaborating with the largest specialized platform in this field globally to provide the highest level of practical training and expertise to Bahrainis interested in freelancing, equipping them with the necessary skills and information to excel and compete in this field”

Applications for this program will be received until 27 October, 2024, via the website: www.freelancer.com/tamkeen Bahrainis aged 18 or older who wish to join the program can apply, provided they have previous experience or skills in one of the following fields: graphic design, software development, data science and analytics, video game development, digital marketing and social media management, animation and 3D design, video editing, animation and production, Java programming, translation and content writing, or other relevant freelancing fields.

This support comes in alignment with Tamkeen’s 2024 strategic priorities focused on economic impact and the private sector under three pillars: increasing economic participation through new employment opportunities for new entrants, expanding career development opportunities available to Bahraini workforce, and further developing the private sector by supporting enterprises and boosting productivity and adoption of technology.