Businesses suffer as Saudis lack vocational training

(MENAFN- Arab News) Several private firms in the Kingdom continue to suffer from a lack of government-recognized professional training institutes to train qualified Saudis to replace the skilled expats who left the Kingdom under an amnesty. Fresh Saudi graduates need to develop their skills by undergoing professional courses and acquiring certificates in the business sector. They pointed out that most training institutes in the Kingdom are not recognized and do not offer advanced courses in IT, business administration and other such fields that are required in the private sector. "We have to match the high standards of expat workers who came to the Kingdom, but it remains difficult to find proper institutes that offer various courses in business administration and management. Most local institutes only offer computer and English language courses, and if they do offer advanced courses, they are expensive," Abdullah Al-Rouqi, a student from King Abdul Aziz University, told Arab News. Most companies seek specific certifications for employment, such as Project Management Professional (PMP), which is accepted worldwide, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a global body for professional accountants, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIMA), the world's largest professional body of management accountants, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the world's largest professional marketing association. The CIM, for instance provides membership, training and qualification to marketing professionals around the world. Indeed, most companies are now seeking qualifications beyond regular degrees. Mahmoud Al-Enaizi, a human resource manager at a construction firm, said: "The secret of expats' success in the Kingdom is their vocational qualifications. We are still looking for training institutes that can offer professional courses in the business field." "Companies will now have to train Saudi job-seekers and help them enhance their skills through advanced courses to match the standards of expatriate employees," he added.