Tamkeen graduated a new group of nurses from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain), in a ceremony held at the university on Monday 11 June 2012. Nineteen male and female nurses who completed Tamkeen-sponsored nursing training programme were awarded BSc degrees in General Nursing. The programme is one of more than 100 programmes offered by Tamkeen under the umbrella of the Human Capital Development programmes that aim to address the skills gap in the local market and position Bahrainis as the employees of choice. This is the 3rd batch to graduate under Tamkeen\'s nursing programme, which offers secondary school graduates who meet the eligibility criteria the opportunity to obtain BSc degrees in General Nursing from RCSI Bahrain. So far, 332 benefited fromTamkeen under this programme.since 2006 \"We are very pleased with our cooperation with RCSI Bahrain in this leading programme that strives to develop local talents and qualify Bahrainis to be the employees of choice,\" said Amal Al-Kooheji, Tamkeen senior manager, human capital development. \"This is part of our mission to support the private sector. and develop Bahraini skills to help create sustainable economy . Also this will have a positive impact on the quality of the healthcare system, and consequently, raise the standard of living for everyone in the Kingdom.\" Graduates expressed their satisfaction with this programme, which helped them realise their ambitions and join a long list of graduates of a prestigious 225-year-old medical college. In addition to a degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the graduates obtained certificates from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and RCSI Bahrain. Graduate Ghufran Ali Shakir said the programme opened new prospects for her. “Today we have become the nurses who will serve Bahrain and its people, and we are all extremely proud to be supported by Tamkeen.\" Proudly showing his BSc certificate, graduate Hussein Mahdi said: \"This certificate is the fruit of four years of hard work. I am proud of this achievement, of which Tamkeen is a key contributor. Tamkeen gave me the opportunity to study at this deep-rooted academic and medical establishment. I urge all Bahrainis to benefit from Tamkeen programmes.\" For her part, graduate Zainab Abbas commented: \"The experience was generally very good. I plan to continue my studies to obtain an MSc after a short period of professional work. I wish to see further support through provision of more training and employment opportunities.\" The total beneficiaries of the Human Capital Development programmes reached 23,500 so far, and enabled 2,200 Bahrainis to secure employment opportunities in a wide range of sectors.