JEDDAH, 8 January 2008 — The Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs (ALJCSP) has made a record achievement in the field of combating unemployment in Saudi Arabia. In 2007, it created 21,000 job opportunities for youths, including women and poor households.
ALJCSP trained, and found jobs for, 4,778 youths in addition to providing 380 job opportunities to young men under its taxi and truck ownership scheme. The program also helped 13,196 families become productive under “The Productive Household Scheme.” The program also extended support to 1,092 small-scale projects providing jobs for 1,429.
“It is the youth of the Kingdom who are mainly responsible for the success of the program,” said Muhammad Jameel, chairman of ALJCSP, in a message of thanks to all the young men and women who participated in its social service programs.
Jameel also thanked the government departments and agencies such as the provincial governorates, the Human Resources Development Fund, the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Transport that cooperated with ALJCSP to implement its humanitarian programs.
He pointed out that the Jameel Gate for Livelihood, which was launched last year, would be extended to most of the cities in the Kingdom in the next few years. The chairman said that the ALJ programs adopted in its combating unemployment utilized the strategy of making the youths qualified for jobs and providing them opportunities besides offering assistance to poor families to find self-employment under the Program for Productive Households.
The various schemes launched by ALJ include vocational and technical training to operation and maintenance, incentives for scientific innovation, leadership skills, assistance to set up small and medium enterprises, among others.
The ALJCSP also organized conferences and participated in national dialogue with the aim of generating more employment opportunities. It also encouraged those who scored the highest in the secondary examinations.
