Academy launched to hone the skills of Saudi youth

Ahmed Al-Rajhi, minister of labor and social development and chairman of the governing council of the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) inaugurated the academy. (SPA)
Updated 07 May 2019
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Academy launched to hone the skills of Saudi youth

  • The academy helps to create effective leaders capable of taking companies to excellence
  • The first phase of implementing the program for leaders at the academy includes registration, assessment and selection of applicants

RIYADH: The Hadaf Excellence Academy, which aims to prepare future leaders in the private sector, was launched in Riyadh on Monday.

Ahmed Al-Rajhi, minister of labor and social development and chairman of the governing council of the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) inaugurated the academy at the fund’s headquarters, in the presence of Rayan Fayez, executive committee member, member of the board of trustees and chief executive of Banque Saudi Fransi, and Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Sudairi, director-general of the fund.  

Al-Sudairi said that the academy relies on activating principles of leadership through practical projects, teaching the best universal practices, guiding, following-up and talking to world experts.

He said that the academy helps to create effective leaders capable of taking companies to excellence and competitiveness in the Saudi job market, as well as to support and promote lifelong learning opportunities, strategic thinking and planning and problem-solving, and enable guidance, oversight and orientation skills to achieve administrative excellence.

The first phase of implementing the program for leaders at the academy includes registration, assessment and selection of applicants. The second phase consists of training applicants, while the third phase requires the return of trainees to their work for four to six weeks to apply what they have learned. The fourth and fifth phases involve presentation and discussion of projects, and the graduation ceremony.

Conditions for joining the academy’s training programs are: Applicants must head a private-sector institution, hold a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of five years’ experience and no less than two-year experience in supervision or management, and with a good command of English.

Jobs portal

Saudi business owners have been urged to post employment openings and career opportunities on the National Labor Gateway Taqat, the new portal that serves both those seeking jobs and private sector employers.

Hadaf also called on employers to outline qualification and training support paths to enable Saudi manpower in the labor market.

Taqat facilitates employment by matching job vacancies in the private sector with job seekers’ qualifications. 

It also provides a wide range of integrated services that include registering mechanisms, CVs management and matching applications to career opportunities.

Other services include taking advantage of programs, managing customer service, managing training services, electronic harmonization services and managing recruitment channels.

Hadaf is run by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in collaboration with the Kingdom’s private sector. It offers training programs and workshops to improve job seekers’ skills and help them find opportunities in the labor market. It also allows candidates to manage their CVs and job applications.

Services focus on linking job seekers with employment opportunities in the private sector, which are offered through several channels that align with the needs of the labor market.


Princess Reema’s Wave unveils ocean regeneration platform

Updated 03 March 2026
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Princess Reema’s Wave unveils ocean regeneration platform

  • Upgraded platform provides deeper, more comprehensive data on the state of the world’s oceans and the impact of human activity
  • Features an enhanced user experience, including an integrated tool powered by artificial intelligence

JEDDAH: Wave, powered by the Future Investment Initiative Institute and founded by Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, has unveiled version 2.0 of its Ocean Central data platform, oceancentral.org.

The upgraded platform provides deeper, more comprehensive data on the state of the world’s oceans and the impact of human activity.

It features an enhanced user experience, including an integrated tool powered by artificial intelligence, to guide users through queries and analysis. A new ocean news section also offers English-language summaries of the latest ocean-related developments and reports from around the world.

“The evolution of Ocean Central moves us a step closer to our collective goal of ‘Ocean Regeneration within a Human Generation’,” said Princess Reema.

“The future of our oceans depends on advances in accurate data, allocating resources more strategically and making informed decisions that protect marine environments, and Ocean Central plays an important role in enabling us to focus efforts.”

The enhanced platform will be on show at the 13th annual World Ocean Summit, organized by Economist Impact, which takes place in Montreal from March 4-5. The event brings together international government ministers, policymakers, investors and business leaders from sectors including shipping, energy and tourism.

The platform integrates global targets from the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement. It monitors progress towards these goals, highlights successful initiatives and identifies critical knowledge gaps.

Wave is a collective action platform dedicated to restoring a thriving ocean by 2050. Powered by the Future Investment Initiative Institute, it delivers targeted interventions across four pillars — engagement, insights, sectoral activation and innovation — to advance ocean regeneration.