New specialties opened for Saudi women workers

Munira Al-Ellowa, the deputy governor of the General Organization for the Technical Training of Girls, said that there remains a low turnout of Saudi female graduates from technical colleges working in the private sector despite the new labor laws issued by the Ministry of Labor.
Al-Ellowa cited long working hours and poor wages as the reason why many abstain from working in the sector.
Al-Ellowa called upon the Ministry of Labor to intervene to regulate and restructure working conditions in these nominal job categories.
“Long working hours, low salaries, limited specialties and lack of social insurance registration are among the key grievances voiced by this segment.”
The deputy governor asserted that only 10 percent of female students who graduate from technical colleges apply for jobs in the private sector even though there are currently 18 technical colleges in the Kingdom and the number is set to increase to 39 in the near future.
She also pointed out that there are a number of new specialties for Saudi women in the workforce, such as food processing, photography and jewelry design.
Al-Ellowa urged the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training of Girls to inform the Chambers of Commerce, the Ministry of Civil Services and other authorities about the annual lists of graduates. She also called upon businessmen to encourage and employ qualified Saudi female graduates with technical backgrounds.
“Our female graduates are qualified academically and well trained; there is no longer any excuse for the private sector’s reluctance to hire them.”
She highlighted that the General Directorate for Joint Training provided technical and vocational training programs for women in prisons and care homes in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Khamis Mushayt and Al-Ahsa.
“There are currently 150 graduates from the Technical College in Riyadh who are sewing and manufacturing military clothing for the Saudi Defense Ministry. In addition, the technical college for women in the capital had 1,606 student graduates within three years of its establishment. The graduation ceremony took place last Wednesday in the presence of Princess Seeta bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz,” she concluded.