(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Several industrialists and education experts agreed Tuesday on the need to direct the redundant labor force to the industrial sector and modernize the industrial infrastructure.
Speakers at a workshop on the sidelines of the Third Industrial Conference, argued that government and private institutions, especially those concerned with human development, can encourage the youth to turn to the industrial sector for employment.
Kuwaiti former minister of communications and Board Chairman of the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) Abdullah Al-Sharhan said the oil-rich Kuwait is in need for industrial cadres who can address the requirements of sustainable development.
The ACK sponsors the conference being organized by Kuwait Industries Union (KIU) under the theme of "Education in the Service of Industry." "The abundant oil resources of Kuwait can give rise to some energy-, and capital-, intensive industries such as aluminum, cement and glass, these industries can in turn create more job opportunities for the youth," Al-Sharhan said.
"The competitiveness of the industrial sector of Kuwait is based on abundant oil resources besides the geographical location of the country," he pointed out.
Al-Sharhan highlighted the necessity of adapting the output of the educational process to the needs of industry particularly in the oil and gas sectors.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mahmoud Fakhra, acting Director-General of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), asked the government to ensure sufficient incomes for owners of, and workers at, private sector institutions.
"The government is actually working to build the capacity of the national workforce at non-government institutions through financial contributions to the training programs inside and outside the country," he noted.
Dr. Fakhra called on the government institutions to indentify the needs of human resources, particularly the technical and professional cadres and prioritize national labor force.
On his part, Taher Al-Taheri - chairman of the Arab Union for Cities and Industrial Areas (AUCIA), an affiliate agency of the Arab League based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said the Arabian Gulf countries have all potentials needed for "a major industrial rise." "In the 21st century, the Gulf countries emerged as a possible home for major industries including the manufacturing industries; they have now the human resources needed to lead industrialization," he added.
Al-Taheri elaborated on the AUCIA role in boosting the development of the industrial sector in the Arabian Gulf region through sponsoring and developing regional training programs.
Mohammad Al-Mekheini, director of the industrial information division of Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC), said the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) represent 86 percent of the total number of industrial institutions in the Gulf region.
However, the major part of industrial investments goes to mega projects in such areas as petrochemical sector which absorbs up to 78 percent of the aggregate investments in the industrial sector, he added.
