Careers for Saudi nationals in the retail sector have received a significant boost with an agreement signed between the Alshaya International Trading Company and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) guaranteeing employment for 400 Saudis in Alshaya retail stores. In the second agreement between the two organizations, both male and female Saudi nationals from cities across the Kingdom will be given the chance to develop a private sector career working with some of the world's most famous brands including: H&M, Debenhams, Next and Mothercare. Hisham Al-Khaldi, Human Resources Services manager for Alshaya in Saudi Arabia, said the announcement comes at a time when retail in the Kingdom continues to grow as an important economic sector. “Our first agreement with HRDF has been highly successful, and based on this we are more than happy to continue with a second. We have discovered a wealth of Saudi talent that is enthusiastic and keen to focus on a career in retail. The young men and women we have taken on through the 1st HRDF agreement have shown they are committed to developing themselves and their skills, and we have already discovered some stars. Our own plans for Saudi Arabia involve serious expansion over the coming years, and we want a core of experienced nationals to drive the business forward through what will be a very exciting period,” he said. The 400 selected candidates will be trained by Alshaya in sales skills, customer service and English, all over Saudi Arabia. It follows an initial agreement with HRDF whereby 253 Saudi nationals were welcomed as Alshaya employees, an initiative in line with government Saudization plans. As part of the current agreement, Alshaya International Trading Company will fund 50 percent of the employees' salaries with the rest being paid by HRDF. The agreement comes on top of a continuing effort by Alshaya to raise its proportion of Saudis within the workforce, which now stands at over 40 percent. __
