JEDDAH: The Saudi Social Philanthropic Fund will train Saudi female jobseekers in cooking, nursing and other jobs which suit the conservative nature of Saudi society and are based on Islamic teachings, said Dr. Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs. He made the comment after signing agreements with the Philanthropic Fund and the International Saudi Academy for Tourism, Hotels and Training at Mursal Village in Jeddah on Friday. The agreements also stipulate the training of 300 male jobseekers in various vocational skills at a cost of SR21.6 million. He said the trainees will be given SR1,000 a month throughout the training period and contracts for employment after completing the courses, at a minimum salary of SR3,000. Many of them will be employed by the Americana chain of restaurants. He said the fund mainly targets young male and female orphans, those under social insurance, former prisoners, recovering drug addicts and other needy people. Al-Othaimeen said he expects the program to be successful and attract a large number of young male and female jobseekers from all regions. He stressed that there will be no gender discrimination in selecting the trainees. “The criterion for selection is the ability to work regardless of gender. The company and the fund will select the candidates while the ministry finances the program. The ministry does not interfere in the process because it considers the private sector and civil society institutions as genuine partners in all the ministry's social activities.” In reply to a question from Okaz/Saudi Gazette about some trainees not completing the courses, he said this happens in every type of training course. “There is no guarantee of 100 percent success in training programs … we should give the youth a chance to be trained to develop their skills to meet the requirements of the labor market.” He said the contracts he signed were for 300 trainees but the number was reduced to 150 to ensure the success of the program. So far 14,000 trainees have benefited from the fund's training program, he added. He said the health insurance program for beneficiaries of social security is still under study. He said the idea could easily be introduced. He said the fund - which he heads as chairman of the board of directors – is focusing on training and employment of female victims of family violence and those who have completed their jail terms, so that they can lead honorable lives.
