Kuwait City, Kuwait – In 2016, Limak was contracted for the Construction, Completion, Furnishing, and Maintenance of the Kuwait International Airport New Passenger Terminal II (T2) project, and since then, has been playing a vital role in Kuwaiti human capital development in the construction sector.

As a global leader in construction, Limak Holding strives to broaden its considerable and sustainable influence beyond the sphere of business to purposeful social and development in all 17 countries in which it currently operates. Along with construction, the company specializes in tourism, cement, energy, infrastructure, airport management and operations, port management, food, and aviation. The company today operates in Kuwait as Limak Inşaat Kuwait S.P.C. under KDIPA’s Foreign Direct Investment Law and was the first multinational conglomerate that has the license to operate in Kuwait as a closed-joint company. Since joining KDIPA before the start of the T2 project, Limak has developed its business and acquired other contracts, as well as meeting KDIPA’s objectives for the training and the transfer of the company’s international knowledge, know-how, and technology to Kuwait.

Limak strives to transfer its knowledge by training and qualifying Kuwaiti citizens, and offering them genuine work possibilities. The company also prioritizes the development of Kuwaiti youth workers as part of its commitment to its mission and Kuwait’s strategic mission to encourage foreign investments and the transfer of knowledge and skills. Some of Limak’s key accomplishments in the country include:

1. Setting a strategic plan to qualify and transfer its expertise to Kuwaiti youth
2. Creating a long-term positive impact and adding value to development projects and initiatives
3. The training of 208 Kuwaiti youth over 35,000 training hours
4. The ongoing recruitment of 146 Kuwaiti men and women on-site of the T2 project
5. Proving educational programs and various development, training and employment initiatives
6. Giving Kuwaiti personnel the opportunity to work on the company’s future projects

On May 30, 2016, Limak and Kuwait’s Minister of Public Works officially signed the contract to build the New Kuwait International Airport Terminal 2 (T2), Limak Group Vice Chairman Sezai Bacaksız said, “T2 project is more than an airport, it’s a link between the two countries: Kuwait and Turkey, between two economies, between two societies. As a result of this link, new technologies are being introduced and transferred, new jobs are being created locally, and the company has invested in local procurement in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Ebru Özdemir, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Limak Group, Limak İnvestment Chairperson, and the President of the Limak Community Foundation considers Kuwait as the company’s second home and believes that investment is not only in the construction of buildings, but also the development of human capital, culture, and the arts. “Our role should extend beyond construction: We look at our projects as opportunities to invest in the communities we operate in, are adamant about sourcing our materials locally whenever possible, and are always seeking to create job opportunities or add value to society.” proclaimed Ms. Özdemir during one of her visits to Kuwait.

Since entering Kuwait, Limak has invested in the development of local human capital. The company’s aim is to transfer its expertise and knowledge, create local job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth, and train and qualify young men and women through education and empowerment initiatives. The goal of these programs is to enable the country’s youth to actively participate in the development of the New Kuwait International Airport Terminal 2 project and other future projects. These accomplishments will only continue to grow through the various initiatives that Limak has planned for Kuwait over the next few years and beyond.

Education and Training Kuwaiti Engineers

Today, Limak reaffirms the commitment it has made since taking over the implementation of the T2 project, as the company works to implement its strategic plan for Kuwaiti human capital development. This included the launch of several educational and training initiatives for Kuwaiti youth that ensured their involvement in developing the T2 project – the company’s most prominent project in the country. Limak works towards one goal: to create a positive long-term impact on Kuwait and its people and add value to local initiatives and development goals.

As part of its social development initiatives, Limak has always advocated for the progress and empowerment of individuals in the engineering and construction sectors, particularly women. The company’s support for local engineers is part of a larger commitment to provide long-term benefits to society by funding educational and learning opportunities in construction, engineering, architecture, and project management. Limak is not only committed to involving Kuwaiti engineers in its projects, but also to investing in their training so that they can directly contribute to the future of their country.

Limak’s youth development initiatives reflect the company’s strong support for Kuwait’s National Development Plan and “New Kuwait” Vision 2035, which aims to transform the country into a leading financial, commercial, and cultural hub where the private sector leads the economy and promotes efficient production. Totalling over 35,000 training hours since kicking-off its first program in 2017, the company has successfully trained over 204 young and aspiring nationals to date.

Limak’s current youth empowerment programs in Kuwait include:

• The “Kuwait’s Engineer Girls” program, a joint venture between Kuwait University, Turkey’s Boaziçi University, and Limak to train Kuwaiti female engineers for successful careers in the construction industry;
• The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Training Program for Kuwaiti Newly Graduated Engineers and Architects; and
• The “Kuwait Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center” (KIEC) with the Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity to foster entrepreneurship and the development of creative technologies by the youth.

Recruitment, Development and Training

Limak partnered with the Office of the Minister of State for Youth Affairs in March 2021 for this year’s edition of the Kuwait’s Engineer Girls program, which falls within the framework of the fourth edition of the Job Creators initiative that aims to cultivate job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth as part of the country’s development plan. Despite limits imposed by the Ministry of Health and other official government entities in Kuwait due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company continues to educate and hire Kuwaiti nationals. This year’s edition of the program, which began in May 2021, celebrated 88 new graduates in July 2021. Signed in 2017, the Kuwait’s Engineer Girls program has successfully trained 175 female Kuwaiti engineers to date through four generations.

In December 2021, Limak held a job fair for fresh Kuwaiti graduates in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) and organized by the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) as the first joint operation between the private and public sectors in the construction industry in Kuwait. Through this fair, 91 job opportunities in the construction sector were provided by Limak for Kuwaiti fresh graduates to work at the company’s key projects in Kuwait affiliated with MPW, most notably the T2 project. The fair fell under the scope of the Ministry of Public Works’ National Labor Program, which aims to encourage Kuwaitization and provide job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth.

To date, Limak has employed 146 Kuwaiti men and women on-site of the T2 Project in various job categories including engineering, architecture, business administration, safety, security, healthcare, and more. The company is committed to increasing Kuwaitization at the project in cooperation with the MPW and PAM. This reaffirms Limak’s commitment to involving nationals in the construction and future development of the iconic gateway project, in addition to preparing and empowering them for successful future careers in Kuwait’s private and public sectors.

(ENDS)