RIYADH, 20 February 2003 — A major reason that the private sector is not fulfilling the five percent Saudization rule is that even trained Saudis fail to meet the sector’s requirements, according to a senior Saudi executive.
“The Ministry of Labor should cooperate with the private sector in setting up training programs with the right content and emphasis,” Khaled Al-Hathal, HRD & Administrative Director of the Al-Faisaliah Group (AFG), told Arab News on Tuesday.
Pointing out that the Kingdom’s existing educational system has not prepared young Saudis for the realities of the job market, Al-Hathal said: “They do not know how to market themselves or even prepare a CV. Their mindset has not changed. How do you expect Saudization to make headway under these circumstances?”
He suggested that Saudi schools should include teaching students how to prepare a CV and what to expect in an interview. Unless Saudis have a competitive edge, they will lose out in the employment market, especially as WTO rules stipulate equality of job opportunity.
This is a problem which the Saudization program must solve, Al-Hathal said. According to him, the Saudi Employment Development Program is addressing the problem by developing a curriculum tailored to the needs of the private sector. In addition to other subjects, he pointed out, the trainees also take English language courses. “We teach them time management, punctuality, the importance of discipline, a sense of responsibility, confidentiality of financial data, and cultivating the right attitude to work. The thrust of the program is on training Saudis as sales representatives, mechanics, secretaries or sales assistants in the gold souk.”
Al-Hathal said that about 2,000 Saudis had been absorbed by the private sector since the program began. AFG, ranked 15th among the top 100 Saudi companies, has signed an agreement with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals to allow its graduates to be trained at Sony in London before taking up employment in AFG. Besides Sony, Danone of France, Hewlett Packard and CISCO are other partners of Al-Faisaliah. The overseas training will last for at least 28 weeks and perhaps more, depending on the requirements.
