The Saudi Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) has signed an agreement with Saudi Business Machines (SBM), the general marketing and services representatives of IBM in Saudi Arabia, to build a program which will assist young Saudis in finding employment, building their careers and enhancing the Kingdom’s technical resources capabilities. The program, the “IBM Workforce Development Initiative” will bring world class technical training and vocational development to the Saudi workforce.

The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Riyadh attended by HRDF GM, Dr. Mohamed Al-Sahlawi, Dr. Faisal Al-Khamis, GM for the National System for Joint Training NSJT, and Dr. Mohammad Al-Owayed, Dean of the College for Telecommunications & Information CTI (College of the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training — GOTEVOT). IBM was represented by Samer Shaar, GM, IBM Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan, and by Hasan Barraj, GM, SBM.

The training scheme will be executed through the National System for Joint Training (NSJT), which is the coordinating body between HRDF, GOTEVOT and the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The Human Resource Development Fund will financially sponsor the program, to be run at the telecommunication colleges of GOTEVOT, which is based on IBM’s Workforce Development Initiative (WDI) developed by IBM internationally and being implemented with governments in countries such as Egypt, Venezuela, Italy, Denmark, Germany and Sweden.

“The IBM Workforce Development Initiative program offers young people vocational education in technical areas such as web and e-business development, web graphics and multimedia development and Linux/Open Systems Administration,” said Al-Sahlawi. “The training tracks also include soft skills such as Business, Communication, Presentation, Project Management and English Language. These are designed to compliment technical skills with a broad range of workplace capabilities. This emphasizes the role of HRDF to develop careers not only in vocational jobs, but also in the high technology computer industry, which would provide the basis for developing the Saudi economy and Saudi IT workforce.”

Al-Khamis said: “The participation of such an important company as IBM gives the NSJT training program proven world class IT and business expertise which will provide IBM training standards for our Saudi trainees. It is the support of our leading companies that is enabling us to achieve the Saudization targets that are essential for the continuing prosperity of our country and the national economy.”

Trainees registering under the program are required to have signed employment contracts before they commence the courses with incentives offered to employer sponsors. NSJT, through the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, is to help in locating appropriate companies to sponsor the trainees. During the training period a subsidy will be paid to the trainees of 75 percent of the training salary as per HRDF rules. After the training period HRDF will provide a subsidy of 50 percent of the trainees’ normal working salary at the sponsoring company as per HRDF rules. The sponsor company can select the applicant by conducting interviews and tests as per the normal recruitment process.

“We support such programs as the WDI hoping that they will develop and deliver mass education and comprehensive career development focused on competencies needed to enhance human resource skills in the labor force through quality training and on-the-job internship,” said Al-Owayed.

“And IBM is delighted to be working with HRDF to drive opportunities for young Saudis in today’s workforce,” said Samer Shaar. “There is a very real need for investment to build the next generation skilled workforce that would be able to contribute to the Saudi economy and help make the country even more competitive in the global market.” According to Barraj, the training program will kick off with up to 240 trainees.

“We are very happy to be participating in this training program by putting SBM/IBM expertise at the service of Saudi trainees,” he said, “and we confidently expect the number will grow significantly in the coming years.”