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13 April 2011 Volume 34 Issue 7 business&projectnews UK’s City and Guilds Group in skills partnership with Qatar
Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry (QCCI) launched a strategic skills partnership with City & Guilds, the UK based vocational institute, aimed at setting-up a Doha based vocational institute. The new partnership was launched at QCCI's premises in the presence of several business representatives and officials. Mrs Ibtihaj Al Ahmadani, QCCI Board Member, highlighted the benefits that will unfold, while stressing the advantages of developing well- equipped and trained entrepreneurs to build and develop the flourishing SME sector in Qatar. "I passionately believe it is through this agreement that we can hone the skills and talents of our youth and it is by providing the right vocational training, that we can develop and build a healthy nation and well- equipped citizens," said Mrs. Ibtihaj. Elaborating more on QCCI's role and commitment to providing a unique service to the private sector in a
variety of fields, Mrs Ibtihaj, explained that QCCI will serve as the link between City and Guilds and the companies and organizations that would like to use their services. Therefore, QCCI will coordinate on behalf of those companies, work closely with them and ensure that the needs of both parties are met. Remy Rowhani, CEO of the International Chamber of Commerce Qatar (ICC Qatar), welcomed the announcement of this partnership, on behalf of ICC Qatar, by emphasizing the positive impact of this collaboration, on Qatar and the International Chamber of Commerce community. "The partnership between City and Guilds and QCCI, by bringing skills training to businesses in Qatar, is making another step in reinforcing Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry's role within the International Chamber of Commerce community. From her side Mrs Amanda Kelleher, regional manager at City and Guilds Group, gave a
UAE airline brings jobs to Manchester
UK Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green welcomed Etihad Airways to the country. The national airline of the United Arab Emirates is setting up a new contact centre in Manchester, creating 160 jobs. There are more than 5,000 contact centres in the UK, employing nearly one million people. In the past three years, more than 150 international companies have established or expanded contact centre operations in the UK. Lord Green said: “I am delighted Etihad Airways has chosen Manchester for its first contact centre in Europe and I wish them every success with their investment. “The UK is the number one destination for contact centres in Europe and today’s announcement is a boost for Manchester. Etihad has chosen Manchester for its international connections, its strong telecommunications and ICT infrastructure as well as its supply of language talent.” Etihad CEO James Hogan said: “Our contact centres
handle around 2.5 million calls each year, and we expect more than half of these calls to originate from non-Arabic speaking markets by 2012. As our network continues to grow, it is increasingly important for us to provide high quality, multilingual assistance for customers who choose to book directly with the airline. “We looked closely at a range of potential locations in the UK and Europe, and undertook extensive research to find the location that offered us a population base with the right mix of languages and skill sets, as well as a high quality of telecommunications infrastructure. “Manchester offered everything we needed, and had the added attraction of having strong, well- established business links with Abu Dhabi – a relationship we look forward to developing further.” The Manchester contact centre will operate alongside Etihad’s contact centres in Abu Dhabi, India and Australia, and is expected to be operational by 2012. UKTI, 24/03/2011
Jordan’s new investment to law boost economic growth
With efforts to accelerate the pace of economic growth and boost domestic employment taking centre stage under the new government of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, a new law is under discussion that would focus state incentives more squarely on investments that add value, create jobs and make use of local resources. The new law, currently under discussion at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, would limit the granting of incentives in the future to value-added investments that employ Jordanians and use
domestically sourced raw materials. For projects that meet these criteria, however, the incentives on offer will be enhanced. “The new law will seek to open up more sectors to investors, in addition to offering more incentives, especially to businesses that utilise Jordanian raw materials and labour,” Ahmad El Zubi, the acting director of Jordan Investment Board’s research and studies department, told OBG.
comprehensive presentation on City and Guilds, its work and services, while highlighting the importance of this newly established partnership, to both QCCI and City and Guilds. "We are thrilled to partner with QCCI. City and Guilds will work with QCCI to develop vocational skills in Qatar. QCCI and City and Guilds will set-up a Doha- based vocational education centre, especially tailored to the needs of the country and specifically designed to create a national skills development programme. "Qatar has unlimited ambitions and developmental plans, so by focusing on the development of vocational skills, we will ensure that Qatar will have a capable workforce to support the achievement of these plans and ambitions. By working with QCCI we will be working to meet the needs of local industry." said Mrs Kelleher. AMEinfo, 23/03/2011
Kuwait issues power plant tender
Kuwait has issued a tender valued at an estimated 750 million Kuwaiti Dinars ($2.7 billion) for the construction of its Al-Zour North power plant, which is likely to emerge as one of the country’s largest electrical supply uplift projects. Eyad Ali Al-Falah, assistant undersecretary for Technical Services at Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water, speaking to press on 27 March, defined the scope of the tender requirement as a combined generation power plant with a capacity of 1,500 megawatts and 100 million imperial gallons of water a day. Al-Falah confirmed that, “It is expected that we choose the preferred bidder by the end of this year.” Kuwait’s government, he said, “will not hold more than 24%” of the company responsible for building the plant, while the “strategic investor won’t hold less than 26%.” It is understood that the residual 50% of the shares will be sold through an initial public offering. Al-Zour North is scheduled to be fully functional by the beginning of 2014 and is the first plant of a series of five that the ministry is looking to construct in the Zour North area, Al-Falah disclosed. Power demand in Kuwait is rising at a rate of 8% annually. Noozz, 04/04/2011
www.abcc.org.uk
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