RIYADH — Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Human Capacity Development Eng. Faris Alsaqabi said that the Ministry of Industry would soon announce its strategy to develop human capabilities in industrial and mining sectors. "The Ministry has succeeded in formulating the strategy as well as the national programs that support the achievement of its goals," he said. Alsaqabi made the remarks during his visit to the Food Industries Institute in Al-Kharj to review the latest developments in the field of training and Saudization. He was accompanied by Eng. Khaled Al-Shehri, head of the food industry sector at the National Center for Industrial Development, during the visit. Alsaqabi said the Ministry has started negotiating with Saudi universities, academies and institutes to facilitate qualifying and developing capabilities and providing specializations that support the industrial sector in the Kingdom. These include the opening of the Department of Mining Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and the ongoing efforts with Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University to develop specializations that contribute to women's participation in the industrial sector, as well as with King Abdulaziz University and King Saud University. Alsaqabi said that the Ministry of Industry is working with the Ministry of Education to disseminate the culture of the Industrial Revolution through initiatives to enrich school curricula with some skills that are required in the labor market, especially in the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impact on the industrial and the mining sectors. The deputy minister said that the Agency of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources for Human Capacity Development is concerned with the sustainability of learning, which begins from the kindergarten level and later during the educational journey through various levels of school and university education. This does not end with graduation, but rather continues throughout life in order to raise the efficiency and skills of workers in the industrial sector so as to ensure that they are armed with the latest skills resulting from the influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. Alsaqabi said that there has been diligent work to create 2.1million jobs in the industrial and mining sectors, and the ministry is serious in the field of qualifying and training workers. "Hence, the Ministry has begun work on identifying special scholarship paths, in addition to following up and supporting national programs and institutes, including the Food Industries Institute in Al-Kharj, which is a sustainable model driven by competencies that have gained the trust of major companies," he added.
