According to Al-Watan newspaper, the governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) Ali Al-Ghafis said the main reason behind the problem of the nationalization of jobs in the private sector is the gap between education and training and the sector's evolving and increasing demands. He said the corporation was keen to build strong ties with the private sector to benefit from its available job openings. He said contact was made with this sector to establish training centers that would bridge the gap between the output of Saudi graduates and the market requirements. I do not know how long the centers and Al-Ghafis have taken to realize this gap. If they had come to this realization on time they would have saved millions of riyals spent on training and also protected our youth against unemployment. The only explanation for this late realization is that the people who have developed the educational and training programs were academics who have not worked in a factory or any other private sector establishment. They have not received any practical training during the years of their study. Taking this fact into consideration, we should start by sending the teachers themselves abroad to attend training sessions. They should first be taught English, which I doubt very much that they know very well. After receiving training abroad, these teachers will be able to change the syllabuses and bridge this gap highlighted by the governor. The students studying at the technical and vocational training centers should spend a year working for a factory or a private sector establishment before graduation. I have not understood what the governor wanted to say and I do not think that any of the readers have either.
