The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) will build 300 technical colleges and institutes at a cost of SR10 billion in five years, said TVTC Governor Dr. Ali Bin Nasir Al-Ghufais. These will include 36 higher institutes for girls at a cost of SR2.5 billion all over the Kingdom. The capacity to admit high school graduates will rise from 150,000 to 450,000, he said. The money for the purpose has already been approved and construction has begun, Al-Ghufais said. TVTC is expected to admit 50,000 trainees next year, out of 72,000 who applied online this year. But technical colleges were not able to admit more than 15,000 for the first semester because of the lack of seats. Al-Ghufais said technical and vocational graduates can find jobs easily. Every institute or college has a Graduate Follow-up Unit in addition to a cooperative semester in which a trainee gets pre-graduation training in a company. Responding to a question on the issue of low salaries in these companies, he said the issue of salaries and low wages were under the authority of the Labor Ministry. The TVTC is responsible for training and follow-up on employment after graduation, he said. The Council of Ministers last Monday decided that Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) should issue licenses for non-profit vocational and technical training units. – Okaz __
