RIYADH, 23 November 2004 — In a major private-sector push to provide Saudis job opportunities and cut reliance on foreign workers, ALJ Programs for Community Services has announced plans to create some 6,300 jobs in 2005.
The announcement was made here yesterday following a meeting of the board of directors of ALJ Programs for Community Services, a project of Abdul Latif Jameel Company Ltd.
“The board of directors of ALJ Programs has fixed the target to create 6,300 job opportunities by the end of next year, a number equivalent to the total number of employees at ALJ Company at the moment,” said Ibrahim Ba Dawood, senior manager of ALJ Programs.
Ba Dawood said that the board meeting also reviewed the results of the ALJ Programs for Community Services achieved so far during this year.
According to a statement released by ALJ Programs, the company has stepped up efforts to create more employment opportunities for young male and female Saudis with a view to ensure direct employment.
The jobs will also include distribution of taxis and trucks to Saudi drivers.
The aim of the program for taxi ownership also seeks to reorient the attitude of Saudi citizens toward taxi driving and to instill in them a sense of dignity of labor. Only last month, 25 young Saudis each received a car to earn their livelihoods as taxi drivers under ALJ Programs.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aburrahman Al-Jeraisy handed over the keys to the young men on behalf of Abdul Latif Jameel Group at a function here. This was the fifth program for ownership of taxis, and the number of beneficiaries has reached 350 over the last two years. They include 125 young Saudi men in the Riyadh region.
ALJ Programs also plans to set up a new institute, Nafisah Shams Institute for Technical and Vocational Qualification of Women. Its goal is to train and educate 3,000 married and unmarried women in a phased manner.
Last month, Abdul Latif Jameel Company Ltd. received the award of distinction in the field of replacement and indigenization of jobs at the GCC level.
