Adnan Al-Shabrawi Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah province, will sign several agreements with the Charitable and Social Fund (SCF) and various companies to train and hire Saudi young women hailing from poor families, said SCF director Adel Farhat. The young women will be enrolled in training programs and will be hired by private-sector companies, he added. Farhat also said there are scholarships for needy women from all regions of the Kingdom which will help them get educated and receive the training to find a suitable job with a decent salary. “Those interested can enroll in postgraduate and post-secondary programs organized by the fund in conjunction with public and private educational institutions,” he noted. Developing the capabilities and skills of female trainees is the ultimate goal of the fund, Farhat emphasized. It is very important that trainees become self-dependent and turn into productive members in society, he said. All courses and programs are free-of-charge and trainees get to choose what they want to study with the help of prospective employers, he pointed out. “Women will be prepared and qualified to all challenges they might encounter in the work environment,” he said. Okaz/Saudi Gazette met some Saudi women working in several Jeddah factories who said they benefited a lot from similar training programs. They received training and were then hired by the factories. Today, they can rely on themselves and make a decent living for themselves and their families. Some of them were trained to be accountants, marketing personnel, decor designers and gift wrappers. Hanan, one of the ladies, said she has recently been promoted to be in charge of the production line at a perfume factory in Jeddah. All the ladies interviewed agreed that Saudi women can be creative and productive if they get the opportunity they deserve.
