With a Training Opportunity at Prodrive International in Cooperation with Tamkeen and Mumtalakat Two Students from UoB Participate in a Global Training Program for Automotive Engineering

Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Khadijh Abdusalem)
27 August 2022
Two students from the University of Bahrain (UoB) participated in the global practical training program at Prodrive, which specializes in the manufacture of rally cars in Britain.
The two students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hassan Abdulkarim Al-Asfoor (third year) and Mohammed Nader Ali (fourth year), made a four-week trip to Britain, in cooperation with the Labor Fund (Tamkeen), to participate in the training program during the month of July 2022, after passing a number of the tests held by Bahrain’ Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat) and Prodrive International – one of Mumtalakat’s investment portfolio companies.
The Dean of the College of Engineering at UoB, Dr. Sheikha Haifa bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, confirmed the College’s support for its students’ efforts through training programs that enhance their leadership and creativity skills, and contribute to national development.
While the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the College of Engineering at UoB, Dr. Omar Abdulaziz Al-Abbasi, mentioned that the training program enhances students’ skills, contributes to their professional development, and makes them the first choice for employment in the labor market.
Whereas the students were able to learn how the Bahrain Red Extreme Team car “Prodrive Hunter” was controlled and manufactured, and about the technological techniques used by the team in preparation for the “Dakar Rally” car race. They also contributed to manufacturingthe rally car’s chassis, which will be used in the World Cross-Country Rally Championship, to be held in Spain, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
For his part, student Hassan Al-Asfoor mentioned he enjoyed a unique experience in the company, as he worked- during the first week- at the Powertrain Development Center, then visited various branches in the second week, such as the composites center. He then moved to the “UTAC”, the center concerned with testing the performance of the car before it is put up for sale, and in the third week he worked in the workshops section, where he learned how to install various parts of the car, adjust the sizes, and install the car suspension system, while in the last week he visited the chassis design department, to learn to design some pieces on the computer.
Al-Asfoor further stated that, “I liked that the technicians and engineers did not withhold any information and answered our inquiries, and that some of the lessons we had in university courses became clearer after their implementation in real life, and we also used a design program similar to the one we were trained on at the University.” He concluded , “This experience was a valuable opportunity to broaden my understanding, and to link some of the engineering concepts I learned at the University with practical applications, such as the car suspension system, which we studied in the course of mechanical vibrations.”.
In addition, student Mohammed Nader Ali described this opportunity as unique, as it was coordinated with the Bahrain Rally Team, which enabled him to get acquainted with the highly qualified engineers, who designed and developed the team’s car, and gave him a comprehensive view of what is happening behind the scenes in the sports car industry.
He also emphasized that the practical training helped link the concepts and theories he studied at UoB with practical applications in the sports car industry.
It is worth noting that the global training program – through “Tamkeen” – is based on sending Bahraini cadres abroad, to increase their competitiveness, by building a growing base of national cadres with a global perspective.

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