HRSD Minister Launches (5) Initiatives for Skills and Training and WAAD to Motivate Private Sector

H.E. Minister of HRSD, Eng. Ahmed Bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, launched five specific initiatives for skills and training for national cadres. Al-Rajhi also announced the National Training Campaign “WAAD”, with the aim of motivating the private sector to train, as promises of commitment to training reached 1,155,000 million training opportunities until the end of the year. 2025, through 14 national companies.

During the ceremony held today in Riyadh, Al-Rajhi noted the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His H.R.H. Crown Prince and Prime Minister - may Allah protect them - their empowerment of human resources and social development ecosystem, provision of more training opportunities and development of future skills for sons and daughters of the country, and raising their participation in the labor market.

Al-Rajhi added that the skills and training initiatives include (WAAD) to train employees, students and graduates, and WAAD targets one million training opportunities by the end of 2025 as previously planned. In addition, with the launch of WAAD, we have reached (1,155,000) million training opportunities in the private sector, and we are looking forward - Allah willing - to doubling the number by the end of 2025, (Initiative of Sectoral Skills Councils Establishment in Partnership with Private Sector), which targets 12 sectoral councils, (National Occupational Standards Building Initiative) for more than 300 professions, (Initiative of Skills Accelerator to Develop High-Level Skills) for national cadres and raise their productive efficiency, targeting 162,000 employees in the private sector, and finally (Training Vouchers Initiative for Low and Medium Level Skills Development) for national cadres, which aims to raise skills of more than 160,000 Saudi employees in the private sector.  

Al-Rajhi mentioned that launch of WAAD to motivate the private sector to train, is in accordance with (7) criteria for joining WAAD, the most important of which is training more than 12% of Saudi private sector employees annually.

This was followed by H.E. Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development at HRSD, Dr. Abdullah Abuthnain, reviewing details of initiatives and their impact on enhancing participation of national cadres in the labor market, praising efforts and support of partners in the private sector in providing training programs to enhance competitiveness.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Zahrani, Deputy Minister of Skills and Training at HRSD, addressed efforts of partners in WAAD, and the link to register in WAAD, inviting the remaining partners to join WAAD.

After that, H.E. Eng. Al-Rajhi received training commitment agreements from companies, to embark on a new phase of developing future skills of sons and daughters of the Kingdom.

The ceremony was attended by H.E. Chairman of CMA Board of Directors, Mr. Mohammed ElKuwaiz, H.E. Director General of IPA, Dr. Bandar Al-Sajjan, H.E. Chairman of ETEC Board of Directors, Dr. Khaled Al-Sabti, and H.E. Deputy Minister of Civil Service at HRSD, Eng. Maher Al-Qasim, in addition to a number of officials.