Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an initiative of ALJ Community Initiatives, successfully created 3,495 job opportunities last month, with support from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), Saudi Credit and Saving Bank and Ministry of Labor's branch offices. Job opportunities were created throughout the Kingdom through diversified BRJ's job creation programs. Through the training ending with employment program, 224 job opportunities have been created, where beneficiaries attended training courses in secretarial works and office technologies, in addition to training courses in vocational areas, such as air-conditioning. On other hand, 623 job opportunities have been created through the direct employment program, which is supported in coordination with, and according to the policies of, the HRDF. Jobs offered by private sector companies through the program for the young males and females included security guards, sales supervisors and cashiers. In cooperation with BRJ, Al-Shaiy International Trading Company and Al-Hukair created the abovementioned jobs, with salary up to SR3,500, a press note said here Friday. Based on Grameen Bank's microfinance concept, the ‘productive household' program provided support to 2,191 females throughout the Kingdom during August to start their micro projects. In this program, beneficiaries receive interest-free loans up to SR5,000. In their micro projects, females sell perfumes, incense, clothes, make-up products and accessories. Fatma Al-Qurani, a beneficiary of the program, said that her clothes and perfumes project has effectively increased her income. She successfully expanded her project and increased her profits. In the area of small projects finance program, last month BRJ financed 374 small projects. The program, which provides interest-free loans of SR60,000 in average, created new job opportunities for owners of the new projects and created additional job opportunities through expanding and developing the existing projects. TheBRJ is seeking to provide support from the HRDF for the owners of small projects. The taxi ownership program and the truck ownership program provided 83 job opportunities. In the taxi ownership program, 21 job opportunities were created wherein cars are provided for young Saudi males who finally own their vehicles after full payment of the easy installments. In addition, 62 young males benefited from the truck ownership program, in which trucks are provided for young Saudi males to transport goods, vegetables, equipment and passengers. Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz Al-Fihaid, Executive Director at BRJ Saudi Arabia, said that ALJCSP, since its inception, has successfully created more than 142,167 job opportunities. Al-Fihaid added that the driving force for this achievement was the support from government organizations, specifically HRDF, the Saudi Credit & Saving Bank, Ministry of Labor branches throughout the Kingdom and private sector companies. According to Al-Fihaid, the announced job opportunities are not limited to employment, but include all those who have been trained and employed, directly employed, supported through small projects, or benefited from the the taxi ownership program, truck ownership program, productive household program or work from home program. Applicants to BRJ are interviewed and tests are conducted for them. Al-Fihaid said that BRJ is planning to create 46,000 job opportunities throughout the Kingdom during 2010.
