AL MATHAAQ Hospitality, a leading casual dining company in Jeddah celebrated its reinforcement of support for education through its Corporate Social Responsibility campaign, which ran from June to October, garnering SR76,248 to train and employ the Saudi youth program in collaboration with Ektefaa. The program was designed around three main pillars, which include, educating, training and employing the Saudi youth by the end of the program. The program mechanism was developed in collaboration with Ektefaa, and targets the Jeddah local community to help build a brighter future for them. "We are very pleased that our community joined us in helping contribute to a brighter future for these youth. As a Saudi company, we have a responsibility towards our community by investing in the social fabric and supporting the Saudi youth's education, training and employment, providing them a greater chance towards a more prosperous future," said Dr. Youssef El Habbal, CEO of Al Mathaaq Hospitality. "The hospitality industry is witnessing tremendous growth especially with new brands entering the market and the growing consumer awareness to the latest trends in the hospitality business. The real-estate boom has increased the purchasing power creating new opportunities in the hospitality industry, and from here we felt the need to support and train the Saudi youth in this growing sector where we hope to see them contribute to the advancement of it," El Habbal added. "In line with Ektefaa's strategic objectives to be an integral part of the development of the local community, Ektefaa women's charity organization in Jeddah developed a CSR program in partnership with Al Mathaaq Hospitality, with the aim of tackling three major social issues in the Kingdom; education, training and Saudi youth employment. Selected candidates will be trained and employed at one of Al Mathaaq's restaurants in Jeddah," said Sanaa Ismael Al Jaaly, assistant GM of quality at Ektefaa. The program is expected to take around six months to be completed. It is currently in its second phase, Ektefaa will commence a pre-planned training program with individuals that they have selected and eventually leading them to earn a job in the hospitality field with Al Mathaaq. This program was the first starting point of Al Mathaaq's CSR initiatives, but will certainly not be the last as there are a new promising campaigns in the pipeline in 2016.
