Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The tourism sector has plenty of jobs to offer to young Saudis, according to Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sini, dean of the Tourism Institute at King Abdulaziz University. "The tourism industry is hungry for qualified Saudis," he said in an interview with Saudi Gazette. "Training needs to be hands-on and teach foreign languages to accommodate Saudis to the market." The Tourism Institute is a leading school for hospitality management certified by internationally renowned hospitality schools from Lausanne and Hong Kong among others. However, there are only a limited number of schools in the Kingdom offered to train Saudis in the field. Students enrolled in the program at KAU are immediately hired upon graduation, said Dr. Al-Sini. With a hotel and restaurant situated in the campus grounds of the university, the program equips students with practical skills to be prepped as hoteliers and other divisions in the services in hotels from food preparation, room service, receptionists, to operators. Students are also required to learn English and French to be able to work in 5-star hotels. New programs and specialties are soon to be introduced. They include airport services management, event management, tourism destination management, and protocol and etiquette. "General managers have complained that Saudi employees don't have work discipline or commitment to work in hotels. They would face difficulties in hiring them and many of them are not certified with proper training," he said. "Now hotels are immediately hiring Saudis who are qualified and who have been trained with the right skills." "Saudis succeed in the job market when they first surmount the psychological obstacles of working in this industry. Then they quickly adjust and get accustomed to the work," Dr. Al-Sini. The tourism sector is predicted to diversify the Kingdom's economy in a significant way as spelled out in Saudi Vision 2030 announced by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, recently.
