Eastern Province Assistant Deputy Governor Zareb Al-Qahtani, Rawabi Holding Chairman Abdulaziz Al-Turki, and representatives of various government agencies and corporate organizations pose with Saudi volunteers during the launch of the on-the-job training program Monday. (Saudi Gazette photo by Joe Avance?a) AL KHOBAR: An on-the-job training program in 25 different career areas targeting initially some 7,500 Saudi high school graduates and current students aimed at helping them to discover their true talents and skills was launched here Monday by Rawabi Holding Company in cooperation with government and private organizations. The job training program, which is part of Rawabi's corporate social responsibility initiative, will run for a minimum of 15 days for each of the identified 25 career areas and is open to all high school graduates and current students from age 16 to 24. “This window of opportunity will provide these students and graduates who are still seeking job opportunities with job skills, work ethics, discipline, and presentation skills that will be useful in establishing their future career,” said Abdulaziz Al-Turki, chairman of the company. He said the training will be a continuing program of the company. He said that those who have undergone the on-the-job training will hopefully be able to choose and select the right majors and courses to match their talents, potentials and capabilities. The launch of the on-the-job-training was attended by Zareb Al-Qahtani, Assistant Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province, and representatives from various government agencies and corporate organizations. An exhibition of the 25 career areas has been set up at the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Science & Technology Center (SciTech) until March 10. Motivational speakers, who are prominent leaders in Saudi society and successful in their career, will be on hand to explain the merits and opportunities in the 25 career areas. “I am hopeful that the launch of the job training will help our young people to shape their future, discover themselves and their talents and skills and help them to choose the right career path,” Al-Qahtani said. Latest data released by the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning indicates that the number of unemployed Saudis stands at 448,547, registering an unemployment rate of 10.5 percent of the total Saudi labor force. Of these, 248,162 were males, representing an unemployment rate of 6.9 percent of the total Saudi male labor force, while Saudi female workers were 200,385 constituting an unemployment rate of 28.4 percent of the total Saudi female labor force.
