JEDDAH: Construction Products Holding Company (CPC) has appointed Saudi Consulting Group Office (SCG) to study the feasibility of establishing a vocational training program to help reduce unemployment among Saudi youths. Training will be in blacksmithing, carpentry, electrical works, plumbing, welding, marble and ceramic tile laying, furniture upholstery, air conditioner maintenance, decoration, painting and general maintenance work. The feasibility study agreement was signed by Dr. Hassan Omar Balkhi, SCG chairman; and Dr. Faysal Alaquil, CPC director, Business Development. Dr. Alaquil said the training program stems from CPC's deep commitment to nationalizing jobs in different disciplines in line with government guidelines for lowering the Saudi unemployment rate. The training program venture, a first-of-its-kind for CPC, is a result of the company's sponsorship of a charitable fund to support national development programs by encouraging Saudi young men and women to undergo vocational training, Dr. Alaquil said. Dr. Balkhi reaffirmed CPC's diverse activities, wide experience and strong standing in the construction industry and said the company has the drive and resources to train Saudi youths and elevate their career prospects. In keeping with the National Strategy for Industry, CPC provides an extensive range of its own construction products and other supplies all under one roof for the convenience of architects, contractors and property developers. CPC already conducts similar training programs for Saudi youths wanting promising careers in the building products industry. Recently, the company signed an agreement with the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF), Makkah branch, to train and employ 490 Saudi youths in its companies and plants in various parts of Saudi Arabia during 2010, Dr. Alaquil said. In all over the past three years, CPC has trained as many as 2,320 Saudi young men and women at its factories. Additionally, CPC has similar training agreements with the National Technology Institute in Bahra and the Faculty of Engineering at Effat University for Girls. CPC will remain steadfast in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in serving the Saudi community by supporting the government's efforts to restructure and develop the national Human Resource base, Dr. Alaquil pledged.
