His Excellency the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, issued a ministerial decision obliging private sector companies with a number of employees over 50 employees to provide cooperative training for students, in compliance with the requirements of the job market as well as the approved study plan of the student's educational institution.

By giving students the knowledge and skills required for their academic achievement, the decision aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of training programs in private sector companies, maintain opportunities for development and growth, and enable students of universities, colleges, and institutes to train in establishments in order to qualify them for the job market, raise the level of their performance, and improve their practical skills. All of these factors will increase the students' chances of finding suitable job opportunities after graduation.

The decision stipulated the existence of a documented and fixed-term contract between the trainee and the company subject to the labor law, and includes the type of necessary skills and the profession that will be trained on, in addition to the stages of training. Additionally, the company shall grant the trainee a certificate of passing after the end of the cooperative training period.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development issued a procedural guide clarifying all the details of the decision, which can be viewed through the ministry's website, and calls on companies to abide by the merits of this decision, in order to avoid legal penalties against violating establishments.

A procedural guide outlining the decision's specifics was released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. The guide is accessible on the ministry's website, and it encourages companies to follow the ruling's merits, to avoid facing legal penalties for establishments that violate it.

Notably, the decision came in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation and the Human Resources Development Fund, in addition to holding meetings and workshops with the targeted private sector companies, as the ministry seeks to improve the level of knowledge, skills and training of the workforce, to enhance its stability and productivity in the job market.