Riyadh, Jul 5 (Arab News): A group of Saudi investors plans to soon establish the first women’s telecom complex in the Kingdom, to be located in the capital city of Riyadh, an official of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development said.
The decision to limit work on mobile sales and maintenance sector to male and female Saudi workers will open new avenues to employ Saudi women or allow them to own their projects in this area, the ministry’s assistant undersecretary for special programs, Abdulmunim Al-Shihri, said.
He said the step would also allow businessmen or women to benefit from abilities enjoyed by women including their high productivity rates, and continuity in work in a stabilized and encouraging environment. The financing and training programs provided by the labor and social development systems have drawn up a road map for many Saudis to enter and invest in the telecom sector, he said.
The proposed women’s telecom complex, to be located in Ghurnatah, will receive financial support from the Human Resources Development Fund as well as a package of training programs from the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation.
The Saudi Credit and Savings Bank will also provide soft (free interest) loans up to SR200,000 for each male or female youth desiring to invest in the telecom sector in line with the ministerial decision to localize telecom jobs, he said.
The proposed women telecom complex, which will contain more than 40 shops, will allocate transportation means for the female staff, he said.
The labor and social development systems, along with other programs joining the job localization drive, contributed to training 34,218 males and females in specialties related to mobile sales and maintenance, and customer service areas in the last few months, he pointed out.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development has called on businessmen to benefit from the ministry’s programs and exploit the localization decision, which is primarily aimed to develop the national cadres.
The ministry also appealed to all customers to report any irregularities related to the telecom localization decision though the link http://rasd.ma3an.sa or via customer service phone at 19911.