JEDDAH, 17 February 2006 — The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a workshop for launching the new national preparation and employment program, Qantara, which focuses on a modern scientific method of training the youth by sending them abroad after preparing them.
The program is for 14 months and it guarantees jobs for the trainees. The Secretary-General of JCCI, Mohammed Al-Sharif, said that the program aims at employing Saudi high-school graduates who wish to work in specific jobs in the private commercial and services sectors.
The Director of the Employment Administration at JCCI, Abid Akkad, said that the program is divided into five phases. The first is the preparation phase for going abroad and it is for two months, followed by an eight-month phase in Malaysia for building basic skills under the supervision of INTI University which will allocate 700 hours of training on English, computer skills, Internet and mathematics as well as 800 hours for training on personality skills, work ethics, creative thinking, problem-solving and increasing awareness.
The next phase is volunteer work for one month also in Malaysia and the trainees will develop through volunteering at some civil and charity organizations such qualities as mercy, humility and patience. The fourth phase is skill testing for a month at a secluded student camp of the university.
And the final phase is the specialization where the trainees are at a job for two months in Malaysia. Akkad added that the chamber began surveying the available jobs and taking in the applications of Saudis for the program, which will continue for two months.
Hassan Othman, the chairman of Sharaka Company, which will execute the program, said that Qantara has proved in the trial period that it can provide high-quality training which will guarantee a well-paid job for no less than SR3,500 with a promising career. It is also a low-cost program for business-owners eager to achieve Saudization, according to Othman. As for the students who cannot afford the cost, the National Charity Fund guaranteed the down payment.