RIYADH, 3 May 2006 — Minister of Economy and Planning Khaled Al-Gosaibi called for active cooperation of the private and public sectors in achieving the goals of the Saudization program, aimed at replacing foreign workers with Saudi nationals.
The minister was speaking on behalf of Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi at the formal inauguration of the Training and Development Program 2006 at King Faisal Conference Hall here yesterday. He stressed the need for cooperation to achieve the aims and aspirations of the Kingdom’s Eighth Development Plan that is geared to training and development of human resources on the road to Saudization.
Al-Gosaibi said the Kingdom’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has exacerbated the need to develop human resources in the country.
“We have to train and develop the skills of our manpower for economic and social development,” he said, pointing out that such concerted efforts would march the nation toward development and help keep pace with the rest of the world. “Learning is a continuous affair, it has to spread its tentacles to meet the growing demands of the fast changing technological world,” he said.
Following the inaugural ceremony, the minister opened an exhibition that displayed the services offered by private-sector organizations in providing training for locals in the management fields.
“The Kingdom has embraced the world economy by joining the WTO. The global economy has shifted toward a ‘knowledge society’ — a world where information is abundant, rapidly expanding and is in continuous change. Failure to keep abreast of the developments will prevent individuals and organizations from being competitive in the new global economy,” said Abdullah Al-Shidadi, president of the Saudi Management Society (SMA), the event manager.
He added that an increased number of individuals use the workplace, ICT and the Internet as sources for their learning to keep pace with the rapid developments in knowledge.
Al-Shidadi pointed out that the Eighth Development Plan offers a key role to the private sector in providing the needed professional training and delivering future know-how for increasing international trade by virtue of the Kingdom’s membership in the WTO.
“Saudi banks, companies and professional organizations have produced success stories in terms of quality and quantity of training,” he noted. “These organizations would present case studies of their experiences among the delegates at the conference.”
A massive expansion of educational facilities and services is under way in the Kingdom, he said.
