Saudi- Study to identify most needed university degrees

(MENAFN- Arab News) Three ministries are working on a study to identify which disciplines at Saudi universities are most needed in the labor market. The General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training is also participating in these efforts to identify how much time job seekers spend on finding jobs after graduation.
According to a source from the Labor Ministry the study will be conducted in cooperation with the ministries of education economy planning and the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training.
'The project will determine the time period each degree holder spends searching for a job from the time of graduation until the start of employment.
It will cover the private and public sectors as well as the self-employed in addition to identifying salary levels obtained at the start of employment and salaries after three years' said the source.
All information will be categorized by college and degree in order to best serve job seekers and recent graduates. Job seekers will be able to identify both salary levels based on field and degree as well as which disciplines lead to faster employment. In turn universities can better understand the direction and needs of the labor market.
Deputy Minister of Education for Planning and Information Abdulqader Al-Fantoukh previously stated that certain disciplines will be required more than others in the labor market over the next five to 10 years. The ministry plans to restructure its programs accordingly.
Al-Fantoukh said his ministry is working together with the Ministries of Planning and Labor to adjust labor market policies according to these trends.
'We do not want university graduates to have an education oriented only toward the public sector' he said.