NSJT Employment Campaign to Cater to Job Market

JEDDAH, 26 October 2007 — The Ministry of Labor has called on all establishments in the private sector to participate in the National System for Joint Training (NSJT) — a training program for young Saudi men and women, including those with special needs.

The program, which begins tomorrow, is being held under the supervision of various organizations, including the Ministry of Labor, the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Human Resources Development Fund. “The thing that makes this campaign special is that we are focusing on all members of society, including men, women and people with special needs, by offering them jobs that match the needs of the job market,” said Abed Al-Akkad, Saudization director at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Al-Akkad added that the jobs offered to women are not in conflict with the Kingdom’s traditions and do not involve direct mixing with the opposite gender.

Private establishments that participate in the program have the freedom to choose the applicants they want to train. Training expenses is also covered by the NSJT. Seventy five percent of the training is practical, while 25 percent is theoretical.

Participants will also be given monthly allowances of SR1,500 during the training period, 75 percent of which is paid by the NSJT. The NSJT will also endure 50 percent of employees’ monthly salaries for the first year of employment once training finishes.

Interviews with applicants will take place at the JCCI. Young men and people with special needs will be interviewed between Saturday (Oct. 27) and Wednesday (Oct. 31). Young women will be interviewed between Sunday (Nov. 4) and Wednesday (Nov. 7).

In order to ensure there is a segregation of the sexes at workplaces, a committee from the labor office will visit employers to ensure the environment is appropriate for women.

Recruiting Saudis will be counted in Saudization percentage quotas for respective employers. The NSJT added that each Saudi with special needs that is employed will be considered by the Labor Office to be equal to employing three Saudi employees for Saudization purposes.

Vacancies will be offered to people with different qualifications ranging between those that have bachelor degrees to those with elementary school certificates.