DIRECTOR General of Saudi Arabian Airlines Khalid Abdullah Almolhem said on more than one occasion that there are nearly 10,000 jobs available at the airline. These jobs include positions for pilots, ground services, flight attendants, maintenance, and so on. Since the airline industry is growing we are in constant need of highly trained staff in this sector. What is the problem with finding suitable employees for this sector? I do not know. Saudia is training its officials abroad but they are not able to satisfy their needs of its thousands of employees. What is the reason? Is it because of education? What is the role of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC)? What did TVTC provide for Saudia? It is obvious that the airline is suffering from a shortage of trained staff. Who is responsible for creating this huge gap in employment opportunities at Saudia? What about the health sector? What is the percentage of Saudization in this sector? I believe it is very low. I read in newspapers that we need no less than 100,000 technicians and nurses at Saudi hospitals. These are small examples and I did not expand my search to see exactly how many jobs we need and how many people receive the needed education and training to fill these jobs. Employment gaps will continue. The government is providing money and recruiting experts and specialized officials in employment and training to work in universities, colleges and institutions so they can train and educate our youth. We are not lacking brains, knowledge, abilities or the desire to cover the shortage. We are simply not taking advantage of the talents of our young people and putting them in the right positions. We have to balance employment and financial returns with training and development. If universities and TVTC are not qualifying sufficient numbers of trained Saudis, then what are their strategies and plans? What is their true contribution to the national economy and their role in curbing unemployment? There should be some coordination between sectors in need of staff with special qualities and higher education. At the end of the day, the country will benefit.
