The Nationalization gathering ended on Tuesday aiming to nationalize indoor shopping centers and malls, which took place at the King Khalid Cultural Center in Buraidah city, al-Qassim region.
A number of government entities took part at the gathering by offering their training, employment and financing support while representatives of the private sector unveiled job opportunities to male and female job seekers
On the sidelines of the gathering, the website of the Social Development Bank (SDB) was inaugurated, which is specialized to receive financing applications in the field of indoor shopping centers.
Additional websites of the e-training program (Doroob) and the nationalization and social development program were launched at the gathering to support the move.
The gathering which was organized by the guided nationalization and social development program received wide-ranging participation from by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development’s branch in the region, the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), SDB and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Around 70 entities revealed their job opportunities in indoor commercial malls al-Qassim region, as well.
MLSD said it allowed participants to review employment, training and financing opportunities provided by the ministry and its affiliates.
Meanwhile, the participating entities emphasized their readiness to implement the decision aiming to nationalize the shopping centers and indoor malls in the region in next Hijri year, as well as exert every effort to ensure its enforcement and track down violators.
The MLSD along with its affiliates including HRDF, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) and SDB have designed financing and training a programs for Saudi entrants. These programs are in cooperation with the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC).
Such schemes are vital to get Saudi men and women employed in this important sector and support investors through proper loans, MLSD said in a press statement.
It is noteworthy that MLSD is implementing the decision alongside the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, the Governorate of the al-Qassim Region and al-Qassim Municipality
Additionally, HRDF provides a number of employment services that allow employers in the region to share their job vacancies while job seekers can find them on the national labor gateway (www.taqat.sa), in addition to having access to other incentives.
Previously, HRDF launched 10 e-training portfolios via the Doroob platform to support the nationalization decision. Around 8,000 trainees joined two types of training programs including customer service and shop management, which was in cooperation with large companies in the retail sector.
The ministry and its affiliates are also formulating public-private partnership (PPP) to provide transportation and baby care centers for Saudi females employed in these malls, ensuring suitable work environment and career stability for them.
In cooperation with the National Entrepreneurship Institute (Riyadah), SDB is starting to receive loan applications to support a wide range of businesses.
The move is believed to support the first phase of the nationalization of shopping centers and malls which is expected to kick off in the al-Qassim Region in the beginning of next Hijri year.
Saudi citizens can set up their small businesses through choosing one of the three loan categories as the first one targets startups and small businesses worth not less than SR300 thousand.
The second one supports only graduates with up to SR500 thousand fund, which requires diploma in health or bachelor degree in education. The third one (the excellency one) requires three-year experience in order to receive up to one million Saudi riyals as fund.
