Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will try to ensure Kuwait's new guidelines to engineering graduates do not affect jobs of NRKs. Law minister A. K. Balan told the assembly that the state would consult Union government officials on steps needed. Suresh Kurup who raised the issue through a submission said it could be solved only through diplomatic channels. Kuwait's Public Authority of Manpower has made a work permit from Kuwait Engineering Society (KES) mandatory. Permits would be issued only to those who courses recognised by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
The present NBA accreditation system came into being only in 2010. Those who had graduated before that could not get the work permit now, and many in the Gulf emirate come in this category. Sources said the authority decided not to issue permits unless they provide a to-whom-it-may-concern letter of the KES. The expatriate engineers will also need a no-objection certificate (NOC) from KES to renew their work visas.
Reports say engineers qualified from universities not accredited by the ministry of higher education and not on the KES list are in trouble. Engineers who studied in little-known institutions will find it difficult to get the KES approval. The new restrictions would also have its impact on the campus recruitment in the long run. However, its impact has not reached the state as yet, sources said.
