RIYADH, 3 May 2004 — Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi will open a two-day Human Resources Development Forum on May 24 during which international experts will provide advice and assistance for the Kingdom’s Saudization program.
The forum will be held in Riyadh at the King Faisal Conference Hall. The Saudi Research and Publishing Company (SRPC) is among the sponsors.
Addressing a press conference at the headquarters of the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), Dr. Muhammad Al-Sahlawi, the fund’s director general, said the experts would share their knowledge of how other countries have addressed the problem of human resources development on a sustainable basis.
He said the Kingdom had made human resources development its No. 1 priority with over SR267 billion having been allocated over the last 35 years. Saudization, he pointed out, had two dimensions: An educated work force entering the labor market every year and the Kingdom’s demographics with over 60 percent of its population under 21 years of age.
The forum will also bring together both employers and young Saudis looking for jobs.
The Kingdom’s private sector will also have two sessions for presenting its views and ideas. A special open discussion on unemployment will be held on May 25.
Workshops, an exhibition, and facilities for women’s participation have also been organized.
