Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi announced the launch of the National Skills Platform to empower the workforce and strengthen the national talent base with essential skills for the future.

Addressing the Human Capability Initiative Conference in Riyadh on Monday, the minister said that the platform represents an important phase in qualifying employees to take up jobs in the labor market by leveraging artificial intelligence to improve learning paths, identify skills and align with trends, and provide high-quality training opportunities for all.

Al-Rajhi said that this initiative is part of global efforts to align education, skills development, and employee needs to facilitate an easier access to the labor market. This is achieved by enriching talent globally through professional accreditation programs that enable professionals from 160 countries to obtain international credentials. He explained that this initiative recognizes globalization for the development and connectivity of the workforce.

Al-Rajhi said that human capabilities are not only part of the economy and financial policies, but also determine global prosperity. "The emergence of automation and artificial intelligence has also transformed sectors and ways of working and living. Challenges are emerging at a faster pace than we anticipated, and with each wave of technological advancement comes change," the minister said while noting that, by 2030, more than 92 million jobs will be obsolete, as automation and artificial intelligence will transform the way sectors and employees work.

Al-Rajhi said the global skills gap is transforming, with 40 percent of job skills changing, and 63 percent of employees identifying challenges in qualified talent. The question that must be asked is: Are we ready or not?

He pointed out that there are training and skills challenges in some sectors. "Cybersecurity faces a problem of 3.4 million jobs, while artificial intelligence faces a 50 percent employment gap. Therefore, we must respond through strategic workforce planning," he said.

The minister noted that Saudi Arabia has implemented a demand-driven approach, and it has established 13 skills councils that include more than 240 million members from the public and private sectors. "This helps identify job requirements and how to address them. This is achieved by defining Saudi skills and a skills framework that includes jobs and career paths and we are working to establish 300,000 local jobs to prepare youth for the future of work," he said.

Al-Rajhi said that traditional degrees are no longer the only gateway to opportunities as employers are looking for an experienced workforce. "In partnership with the Human Capabilities Program, we launched the Skills Accelerator initiative to provide 300,000 individuals with expertise in sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail. We analyzed market needs in collaboration with companies and educational institutions, and training is delivered through a combination of virtual and in-person learning," he pointed out.

Al-Rajhi stated that technical expertise is no longer sufficient. "Strategic thinking, adaptability, and leadership are crucial, while re-skilling the workforce is a national priority. Therefore, we launched a national training camp in Arabic called 'Waad,' through which we invest in human capabilities," he said.

The minister said that the first phase of the project generated more than one million training opportunities. "Last November, we launched the second phase of 'Waad,' which targets 3 million training opportunities with 60 partners from the public and private sectors. We also launched training programs for women with real employment paths through 70 training institutions, exceeding the target by 20 percent," he added.