JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor said it will not provide material and training support to any facility or business owner in the telecommunications sector that does not comply with the decision to employ Saudis, or provisions of the labor law.

Ministry spokesman Khalid Aba Al-Khail said the ministry has seen some of the unfair conditions in employment ads put out by some facilities to recruit Saudi employees, which do not provide for any employment or training support for them.

The ads appearing in the local media exposed positions in the telecommunications sector offering low salaries to Saudis, which has seen resentment and hesitation from young job seekers.

He said the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) will link aid offered to companies and business owners to their complying with the Saudi labor law and nationalization of jobs.

In seven regions of the Kingdom, 113 trainers and coaches on Sunday began training citizens in telecommunications for free. Around 2,460 training kits were distributed during the first phase of of a plan that aims to train 20,000 Saudi men and and women in compliance with the decision of the Ministry of Labor to nationalize jobs in the sector.

The first phase of the program, supported by the HRDF, was carried out in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, the Eastern Province, Asir, Qassim and Jazan.

The HRDF has trained specialists in the maintenance of smartphones based on the highest international standards, in coordination with major manufacturers of smartphones, and also supported training programs for the telecommunications sector with 11 new professional standards. The latest equipment was also provided to training centers.

The HRDF is scheduled to expand the free training program to include basic maintenance of smart and cell phones, sales, customer service and advanced maintenance within a week from now.

Mariam Al-Subaie, a trainer, described the initial phase as a success but would have preferred the sessions be for a nominal fee, and not free of charge, so as to attract only those who are serious and interested in entering this field.

The General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training established an online portal to register applications of those interested in joining the free training programs, both for companies and individuals. To date, around 44,000 young men and women have enrolled.

The training aims to not only support the ministry’s plan to provide 20,000 jobs in the sector in coming months, but also to help young participants engage in entrepreneurship and start their own related businesses with support from the National Business Institute “Riyada.”