RIYADH: Riyadh University has announced a six-week summer training program for 2,365 women graduates to teach them the skills and experience necessary in the job market.
Princess Al-Johara bint Fahd, director of the university, launched the program, which includes nine courses, yesterday. “English language and computer training are the two main subjects; knowledge of them is necessary in all jobs,” she said.
The training program is one of the university’s major projects and is to take place each summer over the next four years.
Riyadh University, which was previously known as Al-Tarbyah College, worked with the Ministry of Labor’s Planning and Studies Department to determine the skills that graduates should have to get employed.
“Many training centers have applied to be part of the program. ... Five have been chosen according to the services they provide and their tutors’ qualifications,” said Princess Al-Johara.
She said the program would be continuously reviewed and updated according to the job market demands. She added that graduates in the future would also undergo training in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs to learn how to start small businesses and the concept of volunteer work.
Of the 4,000 graduates this year, 2,365 have applied for the program.
Recruitment
Saudi Arabia begins recruiting manpower from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan within the next two months at monthly salaries of SR750 for housemaids and SR900 for drivers, local newspapers reported yesterday.
The Kingdom will be the first GCC member country to employ manpower from these two Central Asian countries, Al-Riyadh newspaper said quoting Saad bin Nahar Al-Baddah, head of the National Committee for Recruitment.
He said the two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding to organize the process. The salaries for other workers will be decided on merit, he added.
Al-Baddah said training centers for housemaids would be set up in the two republics to provide them with the necessary guidance before they are sent to the Kingdom. Al-Baddah, however, could not specify the cost of recruitment at this point because it would involve air tickets and other expenses.
He said more countries in Central Asia and Africa will be tapped for the purpose. The Kingdom had earlier announced it would open recruitment of housemaid and drives soon from Ethiopia.
