HAIL, 19 March 2007 — Female university graduates who undertook post-graduate training courses run by the Human Resources Development Fund in Hail have expressed dismay that the courses do not provide them with the relevant skills and training needed to find employment in the labor market, according to Al-Watan newspaper.

Many young women say their dreams have been left shattered and complain that the courses, which are dubbed by the people running them to be of a specialist caliber, do not employ qualified course tutors. Former students criticize the courses saying the equipment is usually not so modern and the curriculum is generally of a mediocre fashion.

Some women say that the brief courses — which take place four hours a day for eight days — do not allow them to learn anything.

“I ended up taking the role of the tutor, since the woman who was supposed to be teaching us was absolutely clueless about what she was supposed to be teaching our class,” said Um Fahd, 29, who graduated with a degree in Islamic Studies.

She added that classrooms are generally very small and lack the appropriate equipment. “The courses were supposed to be practical-based rather than theoretical. Because there was hardly any equipment available we ended up doing more theory work. They told us that the courses would help us get jobs. I’m still waiting to get employed,” she said.

Biology graduate Um Abdul Majeed, 24, also feels negatively about the courses. “I learned a lot from this course by reading the ‘Training Guide.’ Our trainers were unqualified. They told us that completing the course would make us more employable. It has been a year now and I have not received a single call from the various recruitment offices I have signed up with,” she said.

“It turned out that this certificate is just one of many that we uselessly accumulate on our shelves,” she added.

Maha Al-Iyada, a supervisor at a private educational institution, believes instructors need to be trained on the skills of lecturing and time management. “The training program will only be effective and productive if it receives all its components. More importantly, it also needs well qualified trainers,” she said, adding that instructors need to be employed in a professional way by taking into consideration their qualifications and skills.

Saad Al-Gulait, the general supervisor of HRDF training courses, said the courses were established after similar courses for men proved successful. She added that for every 500 women that register for a particular course there is only about 20 jobs available in the field.

“On a previous course only five out of 298 women got jobs. Our job is to train them and not to get jobs for them. That is the job of the recruiting offices,” Al-Gulait said, adding that one of the problems that the HRDF comes across is that the private sector does not cooperate with them.

Al-Gulait said that these courses teach women work ethics, their rights as employees, communication skills, English, computer skills and how to write CVs.