AMIDEAST-Citi Foundation program benefits jobless youth

First group of Saudi women who completed the ‘Skills for Success Employability Program.’

AMIDEAST and the Citi Foundation have completed the first “Skills for Success Employability Program,” a year-long partnership between the two entities in Riyadh benefitting 54 young Saudi women. The program, part of the Citi Foundation’s “Global Pathways to Progress” initiative and a larger grant that also features AMIDEAST-implemented programs in Egypt and the UAE, focused on preparing a new generation of Saudi youth to enter and succeed in today’s job market by helping them develop skills critical for workplace success.
“AMIDEAST thanks Citi Foundation for making it possible for us to offer this valuable program and help advance the economic prospects of Saudi youth, especially women, in support of Vision 2030,” said AMIDEAST Saudi Arabia Director Don Schmidt. “Together with Citi Foundation, we will continue to provide young Saudi men and women with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need to find meaningful jobs that match their career ambitions and lead to a better future.”
In addition to the 54 women who completed the program in early March, a further 16 took part in the program but left early after securing jobs or moving — the former yet another testament to the program’s success.
This program is the first of two such partnerships with the Citi Foundation in Saudi Arabia, and which collectively mark the latest in several successful collaborations in the Middle East between the two organizations. The second partnership will directly impact a core group of 54 unemployed or underemployed Saudi university graduates of both genders.
The Riyadh-based participants received 280 hours of personal and professional skills development training, complemented by practical internships and a community-focused activity to further enhance their self-confidence and workplace readiness.
“We are proud to partner again with AMIDEAST KSA and to invest in Saudi youth through this program to help enable economic resiliency and long-term competitiveness in the Kingdom,” said Carmen Haddad, chief executive of Citi Saudi Arabia. “This program has demonstrated success and we continue to work toward training the youth and promoting continued progress in the region.”