Few companies take their corporate social responsibility seriously; even fewer actually accomplish something and make the difference. Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd. is one that does. Over a very short time but with dedication and determination, it managed to launch a wide range of programs to help young Saudi men and women receive high-quality training, establish their own small businesses and develop their skills for the job market.
Established in July 2003, ALJ Community Services Program (ALJCSP) has sought to explore basic areas and activities through which it could offer training to Saudi youngsters and find job opportunities for them so they can become productive members of society. A nonprofit organization, its prime objective is to develop the social role of the private sector by meeting the basic needs of the country in human resource development. It also aims to act as a role model for other businesses intent on setting up social responsibility programs. The original aim was to create 10,000 job opportunities in five years beginning in 2004, and it seems set to achieve it.
ALJCSP has two parts: The ALJ program for vocational training and development and the ALJ fund supporting small projects. The first includes the Saudi-Japanese Automobile High Institute (SJAHI), training programs in collaboration with the UN Economic and Social Committee for West Asia (ESCWA), the Nafisa Shams Institute for Female Professional Training, the Toyota Program for Technical Education and the program for training Saudi assistant technicians.
The ALJ fund for supporting small projects includes the ALJ program for taxi owners, the ALJ program for truck owners, the small projects support program and the ALJ-Grameen program for productive families.
ALJ is involved in SJAHI as one of the nine Japanese car dealers in the country. The institute was set up in 1998, sponsored by JADIK (Japanese Automobile Distributors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Japanese car manufacturers, with the support of the Saudi and Japanese governments. This support is channeled through the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) on the Saudi side and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It was not till 2002 that study programs started. Employment contracts are offered to students by Japanese car dealers in the Kingdom to work as car-maintenance technicians after graduating from the institute. The training offered not only aims at improving their technical knowledge and skills, but also to instill in them a degree of self-confidence in their field of expertise.
The ALJ programs for vocational training and development aim at providing skills and qualifications to young Saudi men and women who have graduated from industrial and commercial branches of secondary schools, or from intermediate schools, so that they can join the local labor market with a degree of professional and technical expertise. These programs started in 2003. After going through the training process, the participants are then helped to find jobs. Top achievers are given assistance to set up their own small-scale businesses, with interest-free loans that are repaid in easy monthly installments. Some are sent for further education and technical training elsewhere in the Kingdom and abroad.
ALJ’s commitment to helping women in particular can be seen in the memorandum of understanding signed with ESCWA in 2003; it resulted in a program providing training for women involved in charity organizations, the ALJ scientific award and a program to train female trainers.
Another important program for women is the Nafisa Shams Institute for Female Professional Training. Currently under construction, it will give women of various educational levels training in a variety of professions so they can earn a living for themselves.
The Toyota Program for Technical Education was established jointly by ALJ and Toyota Motor Corporation in collaboration with a number of Saudi industrial institutes. Established in 1997, it allows car mechanics to upgrade their technical skills. There are over 2,000 students currently enrolled at centers in Jeddah, Riyadh, Abha and Dammam, and most recently at Hail and Jizan. The two-year program for Saudi assistant technicians trains intermediate and high school graduates aged between 16 and 20 years, after which they will be given a job as an assistant technician in car maintenance workshops at ALJ branches throughout the Kingdom.
The ALJ fund for supporting small projects provides interest-free small loans to Saudis to establish their own small businesses. Both the taxi ownership program and truck ownership program began in 2003 and provide young Saudis with a vehicle to operate. They can repay the loan in easy installments; it has been a great success.
The ALJ-Grameen program for productive families focuses on low income families that want to improve their economic position by starting a family business. The program targets men and women between 15 and 55 years of age but the main beneficiaries of this program have been women with limited educational and financial means. They were able to do sewing work, traditional handicrafts and food preparation at home and sell their products either door-to-door or through Be-ayadina (with our hands) stores provided by ALJCSP. So far almost 3,000 such “very small” projects and over 150 “small” projects have been established and 675 Saudis participated in the taxi and truck ownership programs. These programs not only help the individuals working in them but also provide job opportunities for others.