bahrainthismonth.com | SEPTEMBER 2025 INTERVIEW 38 Dr. Tony Degazon, Regional Manager for City & Guilds (MENA), discusses how vocational education is shaping Bahrain and the wider GCC, empowering young nationals to meet evolving labour market demands. As Bahrain and the GCC pursue ambitious economic diversification under initiatives such as Vision 2030 and the Economic Recovery Plan, vocational education has become a key driver of workforce development. Dr. Degazon says: “Vocational education offers a practical and strategic route into employment, especially for young nationals. In Bahrain and across the GCC, governments are localising their workforces through nationalisation programmes like Bahrainisation, Saudisation and Emiratisation. Vocational pathways provide the skills and certification young people need to access meaningful careers in priority sectors such as logistics, health, construction and ICT. These are both job-readiness programmes and nation-building tools.” City & Guilds works closely with ministries, employers and training bodies across the region to ensure qualifications meet real-world demands. “Our qualifications are developed with strong employer input and mapped to industry requirements,” he explains. “Whether it is rail technicians in Riyadh, fashion designers in Manama or IT support staff in Dubai, our programmes are shaped by employer demand, aligned with national frameworks and benchmarked to international standards.” Building Careers withSkills
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