Al-Riyadh I HAVE received many letters from unemployed Saudis who are holding master's and PhD degrees. Some of these people have graduated from universities abroad. There is a problem here. Either these graduates were sent abroad to study specializations not needed in Saudi Arabia, or they graduated from unrecognized foreign universities. What exactly is the reason behind their unemployment? The Ministry of Higher Education needs to prioritize and investigate this. In my opinion, we do not need to send young Saudis abroad to study all specialties. The ministry needs to focus on sending students to specialize in such areas as marketing, media and advertising, biometrics and other scientific professions that we really need. We have to remember that our country is full of oil and gas industries and yet graduates in these specializations remain unemployed. I can understand if they are unemployed when Saudis take over all the jobs and there is no vacancy.
I do not know where is the problem in employing the few Saudis who have graduated with top qualifications. The job market needs them and they are qualified. This shows that the essential coordination between universities and the job market does not exist. The many oil companies operating in the Kingdom should, in coordination with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, absorb qualified Saudi students in these professions at least a year before they graduate. They should be trained and rehabilitated so they will be ready for work immediately after graduation. We are wasting the energy of our youth who are the driving force of our economy. What is the point of remaining unemployed after graduation while jobs in these fields are held by expatriates? These graduates cannot work in the Ministry of Agriculture or open their own businesses or work in the Ministry of Water. There should be greater coordination between education planners and the job market. We also should have rules and regulations that force companies to train young Saudi graduates. There should be more monitoring. We should take care of these young Saudis who invested 18 years of their life in education.
