A diplomatic delegation composed of 30 wives of ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom visited Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Sunday. The delegation was briefed on the institution’s cultural, scientific and social programs. Dr. Huda Bint Mohammed Al-Ameel, President of the university, stressed the university’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with Arab and international institutions in research and education. — SPA

By Laura Bashraheel
Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – More than 10,000 Saudis have registered with Liqaat, an initiative launched last month to link qualified job seekers and employers in Saudi Arabia.
Liqaat opened its first exhibition here Sunday at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events. The five-day exhibition is aimed at assessing job seekers and providing them with opportunities in the private sector.
More than 10,000 job seekers, 7,281 of them females, registered with Liqaat on its web site launched last month. The exhibition is organized by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) “Hadaf” and the Ministry of Labor.
Starting Tuesday, the exhibition will accept male applications.
The exhibition has 60 companies from the private sector offering more then 5,000 jobs to applicants including administrative, accounting and medical jobs at major companies in Jeddah.
Some of the companies taking part in the exhibition are Saudi Bin Laden Group, Zahid Group, Binzagr Group, BUPA Arabia, Juffali, National Commercial Bank (NCB) and others. 
Personal interviews are being conducted at the exhibition for those who have already registered.
Despite the social and cultural challenges in the Saudi job market, Mohammed Mosly, Liqaat Director at HRDF, told Saudi Gazette that the “mindset” of employers and job seekers is the biggest challenge at the moment.
“Both sides need to compromise. The job seekers need to understand that there are challenges they need to overcome to be successful. Even if they graduated abroad, they need a starting point,” he said.
On the other hand, Mosly explained how employers have to explain what jobs they are offering and career paths. “The job seeker needs to know all details about the job he or she is offered,” he said.
Mosly believes there are a lot of job vacancies and opportunities in Saudi Arabia but “it takes a lot of effort and initiative to enter the jobs market”.
“Employers should use scientific tools to screen, filter, assess and hire. As a national initiative, this is what we’re doing at Liqaat right now,” Mosly said.