Nearly 300 prominent women, including academics, businesswomen, and relatives of women graduates attended the function, Al-Eqtisadiah business daily reported.
Speaking on the occasion, Princess Sarah lauded the tremendous achievements being made by Saudi women in different spheres of life. “Achievements of Saudi women technical graduates are amazing. They are gaining high success and recording excellent performance results,” she said while noting that Saudi women have been instrumental in bringing about far-reaching changes in the typical outlook, which had prevailed for decades in society, toward them.
Princess Sarah rejected the notion that Saudi women are unqualified and unfit to take up challenging careers in the Kingdom’s employment market. “At every gathering and fair where Saudi women’s products and innovations were on display, I have witnessed their marvelous designs as well as their contributions to different fields that enabled them to reach leading positions at local and international levels,” she said.
Princess Sarah urged the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) to set up a permanent market to showcase innovative products of Saudi women and graduates of technical institutes in order to make it a marketing outlet for their innovative projects and products.
In a gesture to motivate the graduates, the princess wore an abaya designed by the graduates and presented to her as a gift.
Addressing the gathering, Muneera bint Suleiman Al-Aloula, deputy governor for girls training at TVTC, said that more than SR2 billion was earmarked for implementing infrastructure projects of new technical institutes for girls in various regions as well as for enabling them to take up jobs and create job opportunities in both public and private sectors. Al-Aloula also unveiled plans to open three technical institutes in Dawadmi, Hafar Al-Batin and Abu Arish. She noted that there has been tremendous response and enthusiasm from Saudi women prisoners to join training courses conducted by TVTC.
Some 288 women prisoners are currently attending courses of various higher technical institutes.
The exhibition showcased several innovative programs and products made by Saudi women graduates of technical institutes.
The graduates displayed computer programs developed by them as well as their proficiency in computer maintenance and repair works.
More than 30 girl students from Riyadh Technical Institute made the largest nationwide display of various designs of dresses, as well as designs from various countries such as India, China and Scotland. Their products also included special garments for kids, uniforms for cadets as well as sportswear, wedding dresses and the like.
