New concept in job training

A high-profile team from the Riyadh Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will visit provinces and cities in the Kingdom to conduct interviews with prospective high school graduates willing to work in the private sector.
The initiative follows the Kingdom’s launch of a new era in training involving global colleges of excellence from the United States, the UK, Canada and Spain by setting up Colleges of Excellence (CoE).
It comes in the wake of Nitaqat (Saudization) program that has seen the exit of expatriates from technical jobs. As part of the training program, the RPI will visit different centers instead of the students visiting the RPI.
The General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) signed an operational contract with the American International Institution for practical training and curriculum development.
The cornerstones of this reform include expanding the system from about 110,000 students today to more than 450,000 by 2020, besides enhancing the quality of the system to improve attractiveness of GOTEVOT to Saudis and ensure they have the right skills to suit market needs.
Under the contract, beginning Sept, 10 colleges will operate across eight major cities, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Al-Kharj.
The RPI visit is aimed at providing employment to high school graduates in the private sector in cooperation with chambers of commerce and the Human Resources Development Fund with the support of several companies sponsoring 480 jobs under their comprehensive training program.
Ahmad Bakri, RPI executive director, said RPI officials would also visit Madinah, Jazan and Hafr Al-Batin. He indicated that the applicants would first have to appear for an interview. The successful candidates would then undergo a two-year training program prior to their appointment.
The participants will receive various benefits, including a salary, housing and medical insurance. The training will be conducted in two phases, starting with an advanced educational program in English. On-the-job training to make candidates technically qualified for the job will follow.
Successful candidates will receive a monthly salary of SR5,000, the director said, adding that those interested could log on to its website for details about the schedule for personal interviews.
Founded in 2009, RPI has eight disciplines offering diploma courses in plastic, printing and packaging, art design, sales, finance, logistics and the executive secretaryship.