School-to-Work Transition in Saudi Arabia： A Case Study of Youth Cohorts

The paper addresses the youth＇s perception towards jobs and career opportunities in Saudi Arabia, based on the school-to-work transition model. The study is based on a sample survey covering 600 youth cohorts in Yanbu and Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study reveals that school-to-work transition is not a smooth one and is influenced by the perception of youth towards employment and its various dimensions along with the ambitions towards career improvement. The 14 indicators framed in the paper reveal that essentiality, confidence to get a job that satisfies the needs, job availability, and qualifications are found to be important determinants of youth＇s attitude towards work; whereas, willingness to do any job did not get much acclaim. Job selection of youth is determined by location （especially hometown job）, sectoral preferences, training options, and work environment.     

International briefing 11: Training and development in Saudi Arabia

The people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are, just like the citizens of any other country, the most valuable resource potential it possesses (Al‐Dogether, 1993). Thus, in its development plans the Kingdom makes all possible efforts to spend its wealth on preparing the citizen for his expected role in modern development (GOTEVOT, 1996). The current government policy thrust is to expand technical education and industrial training to meet the labour market requirements. This article explores the training and development strategies and practices in Saudi Arabia.