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His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Hussam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Al-Baha Province, inaugurated today the “Waad” Skills and Training Forum, organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, at the King Abdulaziz Center for Cultural Communication. The event was attended by His Excellency the Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor, Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthnain, along with a number of leaders, experts, and stakeholders in skills development.
Upon his arrival, His Royal Highness inaugurated the accompanying exhibition, toured the participating booths, and reviewed the programs and initiatives presented by government and private sector entities in the fields of skills development. The tour also included an overview of several initiatives, including the Skills Hackathon.
His Royal Highness the Governor of Al-Baha commended the Ministry’s efforts in adopting such initiatives aimed at training and developing the skills of the nation’s sons and daughters, thereby contributing to enhancing high-quality employment opportunities for beneficiaries and aligning with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
For his part, His Excellency Dr. Abuthnain stated in his speech during the ceremony that hosting the forum in Al-Baha under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Governor of the Province reflects the strong emphasis placed on developing youth skills and providing high-quality training aligned with labor market needs, as well as emerging and modern fields. He noted that the Human Resources and Social Development system has worked, in collaboration with government entities and the private sector, to develop the Labor Market Strategy in line with future developments. He also indicated that the number of Saudi nationals employed in the private sector has exceeded 2.5 million men and women.
His Excellency further explained that the Ministry has launched several strategic initiatives, most notably the Career and Skills Planning Initiative and the “Skills Accelerator” initiative, which aims to train 300,000 employees currently working in the private sector. He added that the forum is witnessing the launch of the second edition of the national training campaign “Waad,” which aims to provide 4 million training opportunities by 2028, including forums and training programs across various provinces of the Kingdom.
In turn, the Vice Minister for Training and Skills, Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Zahrani, reviewed the Ministry’s key initiatives in developing the skills system and future trends related to in-demand skills, in addition to a visual presentation highlighting the achievements of the “Waad” campaign across the Kingdom’s Provinces.
His Royal Highness the Governor of Al-Baha Province witnessed the signing of 10 cooperation agreements with a number of government and private entities, aimed at enhancing practical training pathways and developing the skills of the province’s male and female residents.
The forum featured 27 participating booths from both the public and private sectors, in addition to 14 diverse training workshops covering key areas such as artificial intelligence imperatives, game development, and programs in tourism, health, finance, marketing, and media. It also included two courses under the “Skills Accelerator” initiative, with the participation of 20 experts and specialists who delivered specialized training content tailored to meet the needs of the province’s youth.
The “Waad” Skills and Training Forum in Al-Baha Province offers 30,000 training opportunities through 2028, delivered via professional development programs, training workshops, and awareness sessions aimed at enhancing the readiness of national talent in modern skills.
The forum comes as an extension of previous “Waad” forums held in the Northern Borders Province, the Eastern Province, Makkah Province, Jazan, Najran, and Hail, which have collectively benefited more than 16,000 visitors, with the participation of 72 partners from both the public and private sectors. This is part of the Ministry’s efforts to promote a culture of training, develop human capital, and achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
