Nawaf Afit Okaz/Saudi GazetteRIYADH – Prince Sultan bin Salman, President of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), and Minister of Labor Adel Fakieh signed here Sunday a memorandum of cooperation. The memorandum aims to implement a royal order on finding urgent and future solutions to address the growing numbers of university graduates in some theoretical disciplines, their qualification and preparation for working in tourism sectors supervised by the Commission, in addition to adopting initiatives to activate a Cabinet's decision approving the National Strategy for Handicrafts and the establishment of National Program for the Development of Handicrafts. In a press conference following the signing of the memorandum, Prince Sultan announced the setting up of five technical colleges for Saudis to specialize in the tourism sector. He highlighted the future challenges of absorbing the thousands of male and female graduates under scholarships programs. He added there would be coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education to enhance the role of universities in upgrading the tourism and antiquities sector through providing appropriate academic programs. Moreover, Prince Sultan said the job creation program would be carried out by five ministries, including the ministries of interior, labor and economy and planning, in cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization and World Bank. – SG/Okaz
