Cell phone industry Saudization initiative gathers momentum

The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) has launched on Sunday cellphone maintenance training programs in six regions of the Kingdom in a bid to provide access to these programs to all citizens.
These new regions are: Northern Borders, Hail, Tabuk, Jouf, Najran and Baha.
Similar training programs were earlier launched in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Eastern Province, Qassim and Jazan.
According to TVTC spokesman Fahd Al-Otaibi, these programs are receiving unprecedented demand. “For instance over 700,000 tweets were posted about these programs since the announcement of their launch. We have received around 55,000 applications from men and women seeking to enroll in these programs all over the Kingdom seeking to enter the 20,000 jobs in the industry. The program is subsidized by the Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF). These are indicators on how enthusiastic citizens are to join the cellphone industry,” he said.
“We have mobilized 150 units in these regions to provide training in four fields related to the industry in addition to preparing them to have their own small businesses. These fields are basic cellphone maintenance, advanced cellphone maintenance, cellphone sales management and cellphone customer services. The programs were designed in partnership with giant cellphone manufacturers using the latest global standards,” he said.
Al-Otaibi pointed out that training sessions are divided into two shifts, morning and evening daily, for both men and women with more demand from women in some regions. Besides the TVTC and HADAF training programs, other government bodies involved in the Saudization process are showing strong support to the cellphone industry Saudization initiative.
The Ministry of Labor on Thursday announced that it wants full Saudization in all jobs related to the cellphone business, stressing that there will be no exceptions or compromise, as the spokesman of the ministry, Khalid Aba Al-Khail, stated on Thursday.
“Establishments in the business have been given enough time to act. We want 100 percent Saudization of the industry by Sept. 2 this year, regardless of the size of the business or its location in the country,” he said.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry warned that it will impose up to SR1 million in fines and two years in jail, in addition to deportation for expatriates in case of cover up in the business.
The Saudi Credit and Savings Bank said that it will grant any eligible Saudi who enters the business a SR200,000 entrepreneurship loan as encouragement to proceed in the business.
Source: Arab News