Okaz/Saudi GazetteMAKKAH/BURAIDA/ALBAHA/HAIL – There is a wide gap between what students learn at universities and what is required by the job market. Private companies mostly want graduates with English language skills and experience, which they lack and has resulted in many Saudis being unable to find work. Amr Fallata, a media graduate, thinks there are more job opportunities for university and college graduates, but not enough. Most jobs are for scientific and administrative majors. “Despite my high grades I could not get a government job and turned to the private sector.” Pursuing higher studies would be the solution because the high number of bachelor's degree graduates has meant less job vacancies, he added. Ali Saud, an education graduate, said he and his fellow graduates will only be able to get positions as teachers. “But there are earlier batches that graduated years ago and have still not been employed,” he said. “What about the antiquities college in Hail? Would its graduates find jobs?” he wondered. Saleh Nami, an English language graduate, thinks there may be more opportunities to teach English at primary school level. Abdulrahman Makkawi, a chemistry graduate, said while the private and public sector require experience and English, universities have not fulfilled their role in terms of teaching English. “Majors that are not in demand have contributed to higher unemployment rates among graduates,” he added. Ahmad Ekram, an electrical engineering graduate, believes there are jobs available for engineering graduates. “It's different than before; now companies want to achieve their percentage of Saudization. In addition to this, more projects have meant more companies.” He said there are more jobs for science majors and added that companies now look for experience and language skills more so than grades. A number of graduates from the Engineering Faculty at Hail University said they were hired immediately by private companies and government. About 80 percent of that faculty were employed. Dr. Muhammad Simsim, Faculty member at Umm Al-Qura University, said it is very important for secondary school graduates to choose their majors carefully. __
