RIYADH, 9 March — Plans are under way to establish a college for gold and jewelry in Riyadh. Al-Othaim Trade and Industry Group on Wednesday signed a contract with Al-Sayyad to conduct feasibility studies on the project. Dr. Ahmad Saleh Al-Othaim, chairman of the group, told Arab News that his company wants to establish the college in response to a request by Interior Minister Prince Naif, chairman of the Manpower Council.
Dr. Jalal Al-Sayyad, chairman of Al-Sayyad consultancy and studies center, said the college will be established four months from now and will provide master’s and bachelor’s degrees in gold- and jewelry-related specializations.
Secondary school graduates can join the college, where they have to study for four years for a bachelor’s degree and an additional two years for a master’s.
Al-Sayyad said he believed that the college would charge only a nominal fee from students. The college will also provide training to employees currently working in the sector, he added.
There are about 60,000 jobs in the gold and jewelry sector available for Saudis in light of a government drive to nationalize all jobs the sector. At present, only 10 percent of the 60,000 workers in the sector are Saudis and the market requires 20,000 Saudi workers in the initial stage.
