Arab News, Monday, Sep 26, 2022 | Safar 30, 1444
Saudi ministry, HR fund sign deal to train 20,000 graduates through Tamheer program
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing and the Human
Resources Development Fund recently signed a memorandum of cooperation to train
20,000 male and female graduates in government institutions and companies
through the on-the-job training program Tamheer during the next two years.
The partnership between the institutions to
qualify human cadres is important, experts and specialists in the training
sector said. “One of the most important steps to achieve success in such
projects is the insistence of those wishing to work on developing themselves and
their abilities through discipline and commitment during training courses,” one
expert said.
The agreement signing was attended by Minister of
Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail, Minister of Transport and
Logistics Services Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Environment, Water and
Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadli and Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb.
It was signed by Turki Al-Jawini, director general
of the Human Resources Development Fund, and Ahmed Al-Qarawi, undersecretary at
the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing.
The agreement aims to support the training and
employment of national cadres in professions related to municipal and rural
affairs and the housing sector; in addition to upgrading the skills of private
and nonprofit sector employees and job seekers to enhance their employment
opportunities in the labor market.
The memorandum launches joint initiatives to
enhance the professions related to the sector, unifies efforts with the
authorities to support the growth and sustainability of national cadres in the
labor market, and promotes the localization of municipal, rural and housing
professions in the private sector.
This come within the efforts of the two parties to
support the employment of young men and women, and to achieve the goals of the
Kingdom’s Vision 2030 on human and economic development.
The memorandum includes several initiatives,
inclduding on-the-job training program, electronic training, supporting the
growth of small and medium enterprises operating in the sector, in addition to
empowering the national workforce in the nonprofit and private sector by
supporting their training and upgrading their professional skills to enhance
their sustainability in the labor market and keep pace with changes.
The memorandum said that the two parties would
work to hold meetings to promote the localization (Saudization) of professions
in the sector, study the needs of the private sector, develop supportive plans
to promote Saudization and develop national cadres, and raise the awareness of
institutions operating in the sector about the fund’s programs and services and
the mechanism for benefiting from them, through workshops and periodic meetings.
“Training, qualifying and supporting fresh
graduates to get a job in the labor market is a great responsibility and is not
an easy task, this is the answer of why the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs
and Housing seeks to train thousands of graduates in government institutions and
distinguished companies,” said Awwad Al-Dhafeeri, CEO of Shabakat ABAD training
institute.
He praised the support of several government
agencies for the development and education process and the enrichment of
electronic training content. “This will contribute to the providing of qualified
cadres with strong scientific and practical skills and keep pace with the rapid
development that is taking place in the market,” Al-Dhafeeri said.
“The step of the contributors will support the
training process, employ national cadres, and raise the level of skills of
private and public-sector employees and job seekers to enhance their employment
opportunities and their sustainability in the labor market,” he said.
Al-Dhafeeri, who has been running training centers
for 15 years, said that “launching joint initiatives to promote professions
related to all sectors, and unifying efforts with relevant authorities to
support the growth and sustainability of national cadres in the labor market and
promote the localization (Saudization) of professions which stand as pillars of
building and developing our dear Kingdom.”
“One of the most important steps to achieve
success in such projects is the insistence of those wishing to work (job
seekers) on developing themselves and their abilities through discipline and
commitment during training courses,” he said.
Al-Dhafeeri urged new graduates to choose the
right place and expert trainer to establish a solid base of information on which
they could build on what they learned during their studies, and reinforce their
accumulated experiences during their practical practice in their professions.
Majid Al-Ghamdi, presenter of MAHARAT Podcast,
said that “the Saudi Vision 2030 focused on developing the human element, which
is the basis of creativity and progress, so today we see such a high number, we
are talking about 20,000 graduates of both sexes, who will receive on-the-job
training.”
Al-Ghamdi, who previously headed the training and
development department at the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, said: “As training
specialists and workers in the training field, we consider the importance of
building real skills in the practical field, which is a process of bridging
between education and the career field and labor market, based on the existence
of a related problem in the labor market.”
“Many parties (employers) demand previous
experience as a requirement to employ new graduates, so this positive
cooperation between many of the government agencies came to solve this real big
problem and build the concept of on-the-job training on one hand, and building
job experiences on the other,” he said.
“We live in a time of skills, not just
certificates, because the field always requires practical skills, soft and hard
skills, present and future skills, and all of this comes with continuous
training and development,” he said.