“Women account for 42 percent of the 17,000 Saudis trained by the fund,” said Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel. “We want to expand this training program covering all parts of the Kingdom,” he said. In Eastern Province alone, 27 institutions support the fund’s programs. The HRDF has introduced a two-year training program (Maher) for Saudi jobseekers through King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. The program with 20 classes weekly provides intensive training in English language and job-related etiquette including discipline.
“We provide training in areas required by companies such engineering drawing, accountancy, chemical technicians, supervision and management,” said Hussein Al-Attas, manager of the program at KFUPM.
“We started the program with 300 students and now we have 80 who will be graduated shortly. Many of them will be working at companies during the summer to apply what they have learned during the program. We also guide them to select suitable jobs,” Al-Attas said. Meanwhile, Labor Minister Adel Fakeih urged cooperation of employers and experts to devise a new strategy for HRDF to meet the Kingdom’s labor market requirements.
“The ministry is seeking suitable mechanisms to develop HRDF in order to provide proper training to Saudis in a number of specializations required by the job market as well as to find jobs for a large number of highly qualified Saudis,” Al-Fakeih said. He said he was happy with the proposals he received from businessmen in the Eastern Province. “I will personally follow up implementation of those proposals in order to develop the ministry’s activities,” he said.
Asharqiya Chamber Chairman Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid pledged all-out support to the ministry’s efforts to nationalize jobs in the private sector.
He said the chamber would support ongoing efforts to train and employ Saudis in private firms.
Unemployment in the Kingdom is a structural one and is not as a result of a slowing down of the economy, a ministry official said. Lack of harmonization between the requirements of the private sector and educational and training programs was another reason.
“Low wages as a result of the large influx of expatriate workers into the labor market, the private sector’s heavy dependence on expatriate laborers, and the preference of many Saudis to work in the government sector are other reasons,” he said.