Her Excellency Amna bint Ahmed Al Rumaihi, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, affirmed that investing in national talent and developing its capabilities represents a key pillar in advancing the housing and urban planning sector. She highlighted the importance of integrating government and academic expertise to build specialised capabilities that can keep pace with evolving requirements and harness knowledge and innovation to improve the work system, supporting sustainable urban development aspirations while enhancing service quality and operational efficiency.

This came within the framework of joint coordination between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and Bahrain Polytechnic to strengthen cooperation across a number of areas, including the development of training programmes, the exchange of knowledge and practical expertise, and the utilisation of academic and applied expertise in technical, administrative and technological fields related to housing and urban planning. The coordination took place during the second edition of the Social Housing Innovation Conference and Exhibition, held from 29 September to 3 October 2026.

Minister Al Rumaihi explained that this coordination contributes to linking knowledge and practical application with workplace requirements and expanding professional development opportunities for national talent, enhancing their readiness to meet the needs of the housing and urban planning sector and supporting institutional performance development.

She also stressed the importance of continuing to expand cooperation with academic institutions in order to benefit from specialised knowledge and expertise in developing innovative solutions to challenges related to housing and urban planning, while supporting development and innovation across the sector.

For his part, His Excellency Dr Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bahrain Polytechnic, affirmed the importance of integrating the efforts of government and academic institutions. He noted that this contributes to aligning applied education with the needs of development sectors and preparing national talent equipped with the knowledge and skills required to contribute effectively to the Kingdom’s development.

He added that coordination with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning strengthens the utilisation of academic and applied capabilities in developing national talent and enhancing its readiness to meet labour market requirements and contribute to the development of priority sectors.