President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih states one main aim of the job centres is to employ locals to positions as much as possible rather than hiring foreigners. Speaking after inaugurating the Job Centre in Alifushi, Raa Atoll, President Solih said a noteworthy amount of Maldivians are seeking employment and organisations are seeking employees, adding the work of job centres is to fill the gap and ease the reach.
The president said the Job Centre in Alifushi is the first in a series to be launched nationwide revealing the purpose of the programme is to connect Maldivians seeking jobs with employers with open positions in their organisations. Reiterating the importance of ensuring the maximum positions are filled by Maldivians, the president underlined, in the future, employees would be unable to hire foreign workers if there are Maldivians listed in the Job Centre registry who fulfil the requirements for those positions.
Further, President Solih shed light on the success of the administration in limiting the number of foreign worker's permits authorised, demonstrating the government's commitment to developing local human resources and offering adequate employment opportunities to all Maldivians. However, the president there would still be an expected shortage without training and developing Maldivians with the skills and expertise required to fill various positions.
He revealed that the government plans to similarly develop Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes and services to provide the necessary skills training and guidance. He also detailed the successful National Internship Programme, with 213 interns placed in government agencies and 38 interns placed in private companies. He also stated the government had initiated training for 600 persons under a programme to train 2400 individuals over the next two years to prepare for employment in various areas.
In conclusion, the president expressed his confidence that the initiation of the job centres would help many individuals, especially young adults, in the atoll to easily find suitable employment opportunities, urging the council to provide their support in this endeavour.