Vice President Faisal Naseem says there is lack of skilled employees in certain key areas and urged that this be ameliorated through focused trainings and prioritizing recruitment to areas experiencing skilled-worker shortfalls.
In a statement, President's office said that the VP made the comments in discussions with Cabinet Ministers from stakeholder ministries, regarding developing human resources in priority sectors, according to national skills requirements. The meeting was held this morning at the President's Office.
Vice President Faisal advocated that engineering, as well as mechanical and technical fields, among other key areas, be given more prominence during human resource development.
The Vice President emphasized that the Government aims to increase employment opportunities for Maldivian citizens, with emphasis on sectors experiencing country-wide skills shortages, ultimately helping retain incomes within the country. Cabinet Ministers briefed the Vice President on the most critical skills shortages in the respective sectors under their mandates. They also elaborated on the challenges they face in executing their responsibilities due to the lack of experienced professionals in their relevant fields, as well as the expenses pertinent to hiring specialists.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Education, Dr. Aishath Ali, Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services, Aishath Mohamed Didi, Minister of Environment, Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan, Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan, Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Zaha Waheed, Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister Islamic Affairs, Dr Ahmed Zahir and Special Advisor on Social Policy at the President's Office, Dr. Mustafa Lutfi.
