In cooperation with the national program “Hand in Hand, We Build Today and Tomorrow,” the Al-Birr Society in the Eastern Province launched courses training 300 young Saudis in carpentry, plastering and tiling. The courses are part of a program to qualify and employ 1,000 young men and women in work suited to their abilities, enabling their families to move from need to self-sufficiency.
The society’s secretary-general, Samir bin Abdulaziz al-Afaisan, said it recently signed an agreement with the national program to reduce the number of jobseekers by improving professional and technical skills, benefiting young people and their families.
Program supervisor Fahd al-Ghufais said it was designed to help eliminate unemployment and dependence on expatriate labor, achieving self-sufficiency in skilled national personnel for economic and social benefit. He said training in contracting, agriculture, maintenance, women’s tailoring and traditional cooking, as well as Islamic decoration for people with disabilities, received top priority. He expressed satisfaction with the excellence shown by Saudi participants.
The society’s director of training and employment, Abdul Latif bin Ali al-Mahwiti, said all indications pointed to the success of this pioneering Saudi initiative. Participants had demonstrated competence and the ability to perform assigned tasks. He hoped it would benefit them and their families and urged more young people to enter the promising field and use its opportunities.