Labour Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Vocational Training Jamil bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan described professional training of the Bahraini workforce in the industrial sector and grooming jobseekers to take part in it as a cornerstone of industrial development in Bahrain. He was speaking as he chaired the Supreme Council for Vocational Training’s meeting which spotlighted mechanisms of boosting the work of vocational training councils to achieve good results.The Labour Minister stressed that taking care of training programmes in the industrial sector would yield well-qualified professionals and contribute effectively to the kingdom’s industrial development. The meeting focused on key issues pertaining mainly to the industrial and hospitality fields. Periodic reports have shown that 45 % of Bahraini workers in the industrial field, which is 2588 out of 5754 employees, received training last year. The council approved a number of requests submitted by some establishments to get exempted from paying the vocational training fees should the required criteria and conditions for that be available. The council also praised the hospitality sector’s experience in honouring distinguished establishments for achieving the highest rates of Bahrainisation, calling for this experience to be generalized.