The National Center for Human Resources Development (Takamul) has trained 21 Saudi youth to take charge of the hospitality sector in order to fulfill the requirements of the growing domestic tourism market.

“The training program has provided them with the skills and the knowledge required for such responsibilities in the hospitality industry,” a Takamul official said Thursday.

According to the official, the training program was organized in collaboration with specialized training firms for the rehabilitation of the youth who are currently employed in supervisory positions in the sector.

Aimed to develop the skills of the youth who are working in the tourist accommodation sector and to qualify them to carry out their supervisory positions efficiently, the training session concluded recently in the presence of Nasir Al-Nashmi, director general of Takamu,l and Hamad Al-Semaeel, acting vice president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities for investment and tourism development.

Addressing the concluding session Al-Nashmi said that the program which was conducted over a period of five days and attended by 21 trainees, proved to be very fruitful for the working youth and will help them handle the responsibility more efficiently.

Speaking at the session Al Semaeel said that the SCTA is keen to provide training programs to enhance the skills of employees working in the hospitality sector and the people who are opting to join the sector.

He referred to the attention being paid by Prince Sultan bin Salman, SCTA president, to the development of tourism human resources as the backbone for the development of domestic tourism.

“The directives of the SCTA president stress the importance of honing citizens’ skills to enable them to join the tourism sector and meet the requirements of the labor market,” Al-Semaeel added. The next training program will be held in Riyadh from Dec 7 to 11. In 2015, the program is scheduled to be held in Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Abha and Dammam.