MUSCAT: Board formation of National Centre of Employment (NCE) will happen this year itself, a 2018 report released by the Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit (ISFU) reveals.

In order to unify employment exertions and effectively coordinate the supply and demand of job opportunities in Oman, a one stop centre for job seekers – The National Centre for Employment –  was proposed as a major step-up to pool efforts and coordinate action plans between relevant entities.

“In 2019, the next steps will focus on the formation of the Board of Directors for the NCE, appointment of BoD Chairman and members along with approving the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the centre,” the report revealed.

The centre will facilitate the employment process between the employers and jobseekers and provide support for both. It will be mandated to empower the national workforce to work in the private sector

After the examination of different operational models and with the support provided from several relevant entities, the NCE working group has successfully finalised the operationalisation plan along with a detailed action plan to ensure a smooth running of the Centre.

Another milestone achieved was the identification of clear roles and responsibilities of each related entity in order to enable the centre provide jobseekers with required services meeting best international practices.

ISFU has played a critical role in pushing this initiative forwards as it is seen as one-stop-shop, that will host all employment services in the country under one single window.

These efforts were successful as the Cabinet of Ministers had finally approved the establishment of the National Centre for Employment.

The Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit (ISFU) plays a fully autonomous role in providing support and assistance to entities as they implement their specific projects and programmes.

Based on a clear governance structure and key performance indicators (KPIs), these projects and programmes are in place to contribute to a stable, dependent and sustainable economy for Oman’s future. 

The ISFU was established on October 17th, 2016 by Royal Decree No. 50/2016 and reports to the minister of Diwan of the Royal Court. Support for the governmental entities is effectively structured through a carefully planned process that starts from the beginning of the sectorial labs and is adhered to throughout the implementation. The key areas of support are gathering and analysing pertinent data in coordination with all stakeholders and isolating implementation challenges and finding solutions by using a clear follow-up mechanism.