Companies ‘fail’ to hire students for summer

JEDDAH: Many students across the country are complaining that companies had failed to live up to their promises to the government that they would hire students during the long summer holiday.
According to a report in a local publication on Tuesday, the companies had entered into an agreement with the Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) that they would hire students during the longest summer in 10 years. This would take place under HADAF’s Saifi program.
Several students reportedly said that they had applied online for a place on the Saifi program with companies advertising up to 50 vacancies, but were surprised when they were rejected because there places had been filled.
Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development Ahmed Al-Humaidan has said that he would launch an investigation into the allegations.
He had earlier urged male and female students to register their names on the website for the summer training program.
The Saifi program was established by HADAF for the training of students during specific periods of the summer vacation on condition that they are over 17 years of age.
The training program is aimed at helping students gain basic skills that would help them find jobs in future.
Yasser Hammad, a student, said his application was approved by a firm in Riyadh but when he turned up there he found the actual workplace was far from his home. He was also rejected by four other companies.
“I personally blame the Saifi program because there should have been some control and monitoring of these firms,” he said. Nora Saleh, a student, said she applied for a job on the portal but was surprised when she was rejected because the vacancies had been filled.
Last Tuesday the Shoura Council had criticized HADAF and said its role was not to create jobs but prepare the youth for employment.
This was during a discussion on the fund’s annual report, with Shoura members accusing it of not fulfilling its mandate even though the government had given it a large budget.