Jobs for 5,000 young Saudis by year-end

The Ministry of Labor plans to train and find jobs for 5,000 young Saudis by the year-end, in a special project with several training and labor bodies.
Adel Fakeih, the labor minister, is taking the initiative in collaboration with the Battarjee Education and Training Academy (BETA), Technical and Vocational Training Corporation and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF).
The project will be launched on April 28 and provide young Saudi men and women with short training courses. Mansour Al-Mansour, director general of the HRDF, said about 200 experts and specialists would provide the training and find the jobs.
Najwa Salem, the executive director of the national initiative, said the program was a “national duty” and backed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who wants to see young people employed.
Salem praised Fakeih for supporting the project, which is a strategic partnership that would help restructure the labor market with technically qualified people.
Khaled Battarjee, one of the architects of the initiative, thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Muqrin for their support initiatives that would provide training and jobs for young people.
He also thanked Fakeih for working hard to achieve Saudization in the country, which he described as a national duty for all business owners. He said this was vital because 99 percent of skilled jobs in the private sector are occupied by expatriates.
He said BETA has been providing training to young people at companies earning between SR2,000 and SR4,500 a month. Salaries should be a minimum of SR7,000-8,000 for young people with technical skills, he said.
Battarjee said that Saudi higher education institutions are not preparing young citizens for technical jobs.
A total of 68 percent of Saudis graduated with qualifications in arts, with only 6 percent in engineering and 4 percent in medicine.
Battarjee also urged employers to hire Saudi women after the completion of their training by giving them jobs with attractive salaries.