Saudi Gazette People needing a tune-up, oil change or other car maintenance services will be meeting fresh, young Saudi faces in the near future. Automobile repair and maintenance and sale of home furniture, household supplies, and ceramic and marble floor tiles will no longer be dominated by expatriates, as Saudis will soon take up these fields of work. A group of 33 young Saudi men with varying educational backgrounds have just completed an intense and concentrated training course that will prepare them to enter the job market in automobile repair and home furnishing businesses. Trainees were required to attend a total of 60 hours of studying, attending practical workshops and training held at Riyadah, the National Entrepreneurship Institute in Jeddah. The prospective business leaders were given extensive advice and counseling to help them achieve success at their various business projects and they received courses in accounting, financing, marketing as well as technical training and car mechanical training. Some of the business projects that majority of the attendees wished to pursue included trading in diamonds, automobile repair and maintenance, and retail in home furniture and supplies. Saudis have rarely ventured into these areas due to social constraints and the belief by some of the elderly members of the society that these lines of work are unsuitable for their youth. After successful completion of the training course and workshops, all the 33 men will receive financial grants and loans to help them start their businesses. Financial assistance and loans in the total amount of SR7 million will be distributed among the men who have completed the course, funded by the Saudi Credit and Savings Bank. Muhammad Al-Khalid, president of the National Entrepreneurship Institute, said: “The various programs and workshops sponsored by the institute aim to help young Saudi businessmen and women receive the loans they need to start up their small businesses, achieve financial independence, and in turn boost the national economy. The institute will closely follow these young entrepreneurs for a full year to make sure that their businesses are standing on their own and over the course of the year, we provide many services, guidance, advice and training.” Other sponsors and supporters of the various training courses include the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, Sabec, STC, Aramco and Al-Inma Bank. __
