In a significant step reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to developing its human capital, the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) on Wednesday the signing of three strategic agreements with a total value exceeding 324 million riyals . These agreements aim to qualify, train, and employ 2,191 job seekers, integrating them into vital sectors that form the backbone of the future national economy.
Details of partnerships and beneficiaries
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of prominent leaders, with the Fund represented by the Deputy Director General for Business, Mr. Firas bin Abdulaziz Aba Al-Khail. The agreements included partnerships with three leading training institutions:
- Energy and Water Academy: Represented by its CEO, Engineer Tariq bin Mohammed Al-Shamrani.
- The Health Academy: affiliated with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, and represented by its CEO, Professor Ahmed Al-Shamrani.
- Zadak Academy for Culinary Arts: represented by its founder and chairperson, Professor Rania Maalla.
Vision Context and Human Capacity Development Program
These agreements cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader national context; they represent a practical implementation of the goals of Vision 2030 , specifically the Human Capital Development Program . This ambitious program aims to cultivate a globally competitive workforce by aligning education and training outcomes with the evolving needs of the labor market. A key pillar of this strategy is the shift from quantitative to qualitative localization based on skills and competencies, ensuring job sustainability and mitigating professional vulnerability in critical sectors.
The economic importance of the targeted sectors
This financial support gains its importance from the nature of the targeted sectors, which represent the engine of economic growth in the next stage:
- Energy and Water Sector: With the Kingdom’s move towards renewable energy and green hydrogen projects, there is a pressing need for national cadres to lead this technological transformation and manage water resources with high efficiency.
- The health sector: This sector is witnessing a huge transformation within the health sector transformation program, which necessitates the localization of precise medical and technical professions to ensure national health security.
- Tourism and Hospitality Sector: Culinary arts are an integral part of the tourism and cultural experience promoted by the Kingdom, and investment in “Zadk” contributes to producing Saudi chefs with international standards who enhance the quality of life.
The development finance platform and its complementary role
The announcement of these agreements came on the sidelines of the Development Finance Conference held in Riyadh at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center. This event serves as a global platform highlighting the pivotal role played by the National Development Fund and its sister entities in unifying financing efforts. These partnerships underscore that development finance in the Kingdom is no longer limited to construction projects; rather, investing in human capital and developing its skills has become a top priority, on par with infrastructure investment, thus strengthening the resilience of the Saudi economy and its ability to meet future challenges.
