HRDF program to train jobless youth

The Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) is set to launch a training program for Saudi students and job seekers to develop their skills to better cater to the labor market in the Kingdom.
Ibrahim Al-Moaiqil, director general of the HRDF, said that the program, to take place in Riyadh on Monday, has been designed to tailor the skills and talents of the local youths to better fit into various jobs available on the Saudi market, according to their aptitudes.
He added that the proposed program involves imparting scientific knowledge, practical experience and offering the trainees proper certification recognized by major Saudi companies.
He said it will be a comprehensive program to help youth find suitable employment that would give them job satisfaction. He said the employers will also benefit from exposure to skilled employees who would be an asset to their establishments.
In addition to on-the-job training, the trainees will be given orientation in computer programs, e-learning, basic job skills such as marketing, sales, communications, public relations, technical skills and social interaction with employers. The trainees will be allowed to choose their vocational training according to their tastes and temperaments, he added.
Al-Moaiqil noted that the HRDF will bear the costs of the training, and emphasized that the program is a reflection of a partnership between the private sector and the fund to train a nationalized work force suitable for the Kingdom’s private sector.
He pointed out that jobs in the retail sector do not require qualifications beyond high school, which is a plus for nationalization as 75 percent of job seekers have high school certificates. There are nearly 600,000 job opportunities in the retail sector largely occupied by expatriates, according to official estimates.