Octal develops future-ready national talent

Muscat: As part of its strategy to support the government’s Omanisation efforts, Octal, Oman’s manufacturing powerhouse, recently created a Talent Development Manager position and appointed Mohammed Al Mashani for the role.
The role is designed to nurture the next generation of manufacturing leaders through a number of on-the-job training programmes to significantly accelerate the skillsets required by those entering the employment market and increase their success rate. The step emphasises Octal’s vision of building a world-class manufacturing industry in Oman that is dedicated to systematically hiring and developing homegrown talent across all departments.
“Talent acquisition and development are a translation of Octal’s forward-thinking strategy to build its local human capital,” said Nicholas Barakat, CEO of Octal.
“This is important, as our manufacturing technology delivers performance attributes second to none from complex manufacturing steps. Effective planning and management to develop, and most importantly, retaining Omani talent that is vital for long-term success in the rapidly evolving and fast-growing manufacturing sector. We are determined to ensure that our staff enjoys rewarding careers by developing the skillsets required to manage the technology platform,” he added.
The company’s Omanisation strategy is not exclusive to employment, but also includes various training and leadership development initiatives. Focused on equipping employees with job knowledge and skills to hold future leadership roles within the company, Octal is offering employees a combination of on-the-job training opportunities (OJTs) and English language courses. To date, 22 staff members have successfully completed the in-house language course, while the initial OJT programme extends to Lab Technicians and Extruder Operators. Plans are also underway to cover other job areas in the company.
Al Mashani said, “Training and development continue to be a high priority for Octal in 2018, and we intend to continue building on this success, by providing our employees with specialised technical training courses to facilitate their career progression.”
Octal is leading the growth of the manufacturing industry in Oman, which presents its team of professionals with rewarding and challenging career opportunities. The company remains committed to developing training initiatives to enhance skillsets and create capable Omani business leaders across its operations.