RIYADH: Minister of Labor Adel Fakieh said the ministry has plans to open new fields of work for women and increase their contribution in meeting shortages of workers in different specializations and jobs. During his visit to the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh Monday, he added that the labor market requires programs to rehabilitate graduates in specializations that are not in demand in the market. He stressed that the IPA is qualified to address this problem by designing programs to bridge the gap between those specializations and the needs of the labor market and conducting a study on vacancies in different specializations. Fakieh, who mentioned royal directives to universities to focus on specializations required by the labor market, said he visited the Institute to get acquainted with its capabilities because the Ministry of Labor needs to benefit from its services to meet its challenges. Many of the private sector's challenges lie in the field of human resources and the ministry is banking on its cooperation with the Institute to tap its expertise in this area, he said. He lauded the role of the Institute's Women's Section in training women and preparing them for the labor market. The Ministry of Labor needs a package of consultations with the Institute, along with the services of its Business Center, to learn more about the labor market and its needs, he said. Fakieh said the ministry needs to consult with the IPA on organizational aspects, a study on the needs of the labor market and jobs suffering from an acute shortage of workers and a study on bridging the gap between specializations with shortages and the needs of the labor market. Abdul Rahman Bin Abdullah Al-Shigawi, Director General of the Institute, said it started with a limited number of long, intensive training programs and expanded its specializations and programs; the first preparatory program addressed the study of regulations. The Institute is carrying out 25 preparatory programs in different specializations that require studying the English language for one year and target the private sector, he added. These programs have achieved great success in the labor market, he said, and its graduates have gained a great deal of knowledge and skills, particularly relating to the English language.
