Saudi seminar seeks to help tackle unemployment

A seminar aimed at tackling obstacles hindering training programmes designed to prepare young Saudis for new employment opportunities in the face of rising unemployment, now stands at 9.6 per cent, opened here on Saturday.

The two-day meeting which is organised by the Saudi Manpower Resources Development Fund seeks to identify obstacles faced by training programmes which are designed to enable young Saudis to gain new skills in various fields of economic activities. The meeting also seeks to devise the most effective and practical ways for speeding up Saudiisation programmes.

Participants of the meeting will also exchange views on improving employment opportunities for members of the expatriate community.

An exhibition organised to coincide with the seminar offers young Saudis a total of 5,500 jobs.
A number of business organisations have come forward with their contributions to the success of the seminar.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Mohammed Alsahlawi, director general of the Manpower Resources Development Fund, said, "We are doing everything in our power to encourage business organisations, big and small, to open up employment opportunities before young Saudis."

He said in return, the Fund is prepared to help local businesses in overcoming all problems they are facing. In a related development Dr Isa bin Hassan Alansari, general supervisor of the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd programme for training and rehabilitating of young Saudis, told Gulf News "The programme began receiving applications for undergoing training during the next summer vacation in the Eastern Province and we are planning to train 7,000 young men and women during the period."

On his part, Ahmed Abu Hulaika, director general of the General Establishment for Technical Education in Prisons, said, "We are planning to set up a long list of training programmes in different parts of the country. About 20 technical colleges will be established in different parts of the country at an overall cost of 1.153 billion Saudi riyals with an overall intake of more than 60,000 persons."

He said they are planning to set up 13 training institutes at a cost of 144 million Saudi riyals.
They will have the capacity to train 6,500 young men and women.

He said the General Establishment also plans to establish 45 training centers at a cost of 700 million Saudi riyals with a capacity to train 36,000 young men and women.

He said five training centers will be opened in the near future in prisons in Makkah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Jazan.

He said the inmates will be given training in computers and other fields with the aim of making self -supporting citizens by the time they leave prison life behind them.