HR role in business highlighted

Business leaders attending the 4th HR Forum at Jeddah Hilton highlighted their companies' efforts to employ Saudis by providing them with necessary training and orientation.
Executive directors of companies and HR department managers will meet today to discuss prospect of converting HR into a strategic partner of the Labor Ministry.
Labor Minister Adel Fakeih opened the forum on Saturday, announcing new initiatives to create job opportunities for 448,000 unemployed Saudi men and women.
There was a special session yesterday at the forum on “Best HR practices in the industrial sector” which was presided over by Muhammad Saeed Dardir, head of the consultative firms committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Saleh Hafni, CEO and managing director of Halawani & Brothers, emphasized the role of HR in confronting a company’s challenges. He stressed the importance of launching a future managers program through recruitment of skilled manpower.
“Workers should be given continuous training to promote industrialization and enhance quality,” Hafni told the forum.
Mahmoud Jamjoom, CEO of Jamjoom Medical Industries, spoke about the growing role of Saudi women in pharmaceutical industries in the Kingdom. “Companies should carry out various programs to develop the capabilities of their workers,” he pointed out. He attributed the success of Jamjoom Pharma to the hard work of its female Saudi employees.
Saeed Al-Ghamdi, HR manager of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, highlighted his organization’s efforts to train Saudis to take up leadership positions. “We also encourage workers to get professional certificates by providing them with necessary support and present papers at professional and academic conferences and seminars.”
The forum witnessed a discussion on business development, which was presided over by Khaled Al-Maimani, head of HR Department at King Abdulaziz University. Abdul Rahman Al-Turaiqi, chairman of Gulf Industrial Development Company, called for well-planned efforts for human resource development, adding that employees should be given incentives recognizing their contributions.