RIYADH: Public and private sector employers want universities to ensure their graduates have skills in using English and computers, writing reports, communication and self-improvement, in addition to their specialized knowledge, University President Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Othman said Tuesday. Dr. Al-Othman, who spoke to Okaz/Saudi Gazette after inaugurating a workshop to discuss King Saud University's academic programs and how they can benefit employers and students, said graduates must be ready to compete for jobs because the labor market works on “supply and demand.” Employers have always demanded that 21st century students study in a 21st century university with relevant learning opportunities that help them to develop the skills needed for the 21st Century. “They have to be even prepared for jobs that are still to come into being,” a private employer said. The workshop in Riyadh was held to help determine what employers are looking for in university graduates, develop academic programs to make graduates competitive in the job market and discuss the direction of these programs toward meeting the requirements of the job market and the country's development, said Dr. Abdullah Al-Salman, King Saud University Vice-President for Educational Affairs. Participants in the workshop included representatives from the ministries of Labor, Economy and Planning, Education and Civil Service; higher education officials, the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce; Saudi Aramco; SABIC; mobile companies; and banks. “We at the University listened to their requirements and started to implement the academic programs,” Dr. Al-Othman said. He stressed that graduates must be ready and able to work to get jobs. “We cannot reduce unemployment unless we graduate students who are able to create their own job opportunities,” he said, adding that “the job market will not recruit more than 50 percent of university graduates no matter how much work education officials carry out to help make graduates more employable.” Dr. Al-Othman said the Kingdom's labor market “is a global one and a Saudi must not be hired just for being a Saudi, but for his or her qualifications and excellence.” Universities have a major responsibility to graduate highly qualified graduates, especially with the leadership's support they are enjoying, he said. Dr. Al-Othman said King Saud University has signed a number of international agreements with organizations in Korea and other countries that will benefit higher-studies students of energy, water desalination, engineering and dentistry.
