The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) will ensure the graduation of 75,000 students in a five-year period to fill the shortage of vocational and technical workers following the departure of illegal expats from the country, said Ali Al-Ghufais, TVTC governor.
“We used to have 25,000 graduates annually. We will establish an infrastructure to ensure that we can produce three times as many graduates,” said Al-Ghufais.
He said the TVTC has trained young Saudis in numerous professions through its plants and technical colleges in skills such as plumbing and tinkering.
“Our graduates are not too embarrassed to take up such jobs. The problem lies in the capacity of the TVTC,” he said. “In addition, the majority of graduates end up joining the military instead.”
“Graduates are not fully to blame,” said Al-Ghufais. “The TVTC itself bears a great chunk of the responsibility. This is why we are now working on expanding our capacity to meet the demands of the Saudi labor market.”
The country, he said, has suffered a huge shortage in the number of tinkers, plumbers, painters, blacksmiths, carpenters and mechanics since the end of the legalization campaigns a few months ago.
“All these illegal workers used to line up along the roads asking for jobs,” he said.
Such jobs, said Al-Ghufais, were limited to foreign laborers.
“The Saudi community is demanding alternatives. This demand is directly being aimed at the TVTC to find solutions to the problem and to introduce skilled and qualified barbers, mechanics, carpenters and workers in other professions,” he said.
TVTC ‘ensures’ 75,000 graduates in 5 years
