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“Expanding Technical and Vocational Training for Girls in Saudi Arabia: Creativity and Empowerment for All" is one of the initiatives of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), Saudi Arabia. It seeks to provide secondary school graduates aged 18 and above with the necessary job skills for the labour market, thereby assisting the national economy. TVTC was established in 1980 to oversee technical and vocational training for males in the Kingdom, followed by technical and vocational training for females in 2005. The "Expanding Technical and Vocational Training for Girls in Saudi Arabia: Creativity and Empowerment for All" initiative was approved in March 2019 to increase female participation in the labour market by at least 30 percent by 2030 according to Saudi Arabian National Vision 2030. Furthermore, it is meant to achieve its main pillars, which stipulate a vibrant society, an ambitious homeland, and a booming economy. The initiative promotes a culture of lifelong learning that enhances all women's professional and economic capabilities. As a result, it meets several sustainable development goals (UN SDGs). This initiative is performed in three aspects: the establishment of new technical and vocational facilities across the Kingdom, the diversity of programs and specialities available to girls, and the extension of current colleges and specialities. The initiative has already achieved several objectives that are consistent with TVTC strategic goals and UN SDGs. It includes raising the rate of admissions from 12,000 to 16000 trainees, increasing the number of female graduates from vocational training programs by 110%, the number of technical colleges for females from 27 to 39 and the number of majors from 14 to 24. Thus, it is contributing to achieving the national goal of raising the rate of women's participation in the labour market.

It has been keen to provide a welcoming environment where females can be trained following religious and societal standards, with the same efficiency, quality, and job opportunities as males. An integrated administrative and training cadre was also employed to provide training services in female technical colleges. Qualified female leaders were empowered to participate alongside their male colleagues in the planning, follow-up, and evaluation processes at the organization's headquarters. Female leaders constitute more than 75% of the initiative's senior leadership positions, such as Vice Governor for Planning and Director of Project Management Office, and 100% of the executive leaders.

The initiative achieves sub-clauses of a few sustainable development goals, particularly SDG 4: quality education. It raised the rates of participation of females in technical and vocational training through a qualitative expansion in vocational programs, frequently at no cost. Several technical specializations for girls were opened, and expansion in other technical fields, increasing the percentage of females with technical skills that qualify them for suitable jobs in the labour market. Training facilities have been designed to be attractive and suitable for all, including those with special needs. In all facilities, including laboratories and workshops, occupational safety rules were followed. The initiative is also linked to the fifth goal of SDG concerning gender equality. It primarily aims to increase female acceptance rates in technical and vocational training by providing all services and facilities to trainees by establishing a qualified administrative and training cadre of women following national, social, and religious guidelines. The initiative further relates to the eighth goal of providing decent work and economic growth through the training provided in colleges that prepares trainees for the labour market. It also contributes to female graduates obtaining suitable job opportunities and salaries equal to their male counterparts. Optimal use of facilities preserves the environment.

It fulfils its objectives with the required balance among the three pillars of sustainability, developing them in line with modern technologies, assuring its continuity over time. The initiative has long-term strategic plans that work parallel with national trends (2030 Vision). The expansion is constant in coordination with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development that regularly issues localization decisions regarding professions. Within the initiative and in cooperation with the General Administration for Studies and Research, many analytical field studies are being conducted to identify the current and future needs of the labour market.

The initiative arose due to the challenges faced by female secondary school graduates in obtaining professional jobs compared to their male counterparts. The societal culture contributed to reducing the options available to girls in the field of vocational training. With the economic changes in the Kingdom since the announcement of the National Vision 2030, the demand for competent professional labour to carry out the vision's implementation projects has increased significantly. Hence, the initiative sought to expand the fields of vocational training for females in quantity and quality, by increasing the rates of attracting secondary school graduates to enroll in a wide range of diverse programs. In addition, it promotes and supports training in the evening in some training facilities to provide an opportunity for those who are not available in the morning. It also raises awareness of the rehabilitation of women in rural and small cities of the importance of enrolling in technical and vocational training programs to build their future. Several training programs are provided to female prison inmates as part of their rehabilitation and support to integrate into society by the end of their sentences.

It was founded on the principle of attaining gender equality in vocational training, and accordingly, training opportunities were supplied in a variety of specializations across the Kingdom. The initiative further includes forming strategic partnerships with several organizations that provide job opportunities for both males and females equally, allowing the graduate to support herself and her family while improving the overall economy. An integrated training, administrative, and leadership cadre of women was also appointed and trained to administer vocational training geared at females while taking religious and societal constraints into account, resulting in a suitable and comfortable learning environment for females.

The initiative targets all secondary school graduates around the Kingdom, with equal opportunities for all to join based on easy and free admission terms, and with specialities such as hearing disabilities and some motor disabilities. By providing many supportive services during training, such as student allowances, extra-curricular activities, student clubs, psychological and academic counselling, talent care, health services, volunteer and scouting opportunities, providing opportunities for participation in competitions and awards of excellence, and extra financial support in case of financial hardship the initiative significantly improves the conditions of female beneficiaries. All of this is combined with professional training to ensure that trainees receive locally and globally accredited certificates, diplomas, or bachelor's degrees. It also offers post-graduation services to girls, such as job fairs, job opportunities, financial, rehabilitation, and logistical support for small projects, intensive English language courses, and opportunities to pursue graduate studies locally and internationally. The initiative also supports some of whom have not had the opportunity to obtain technical training or education through the usual methods, such as elders, prison residents, those with disabilities, those with low educational attainment, or those unable to pass national assessment tests, etc. It contributes to improving their economic condition and protecting them from poverty.

TVTC has approved the initiative to expand the female training sector as an initiative within the corporation's large projects supervised by the Project Management Office, intending to achieve the Kingdom's vision and SDGs through it. The initiative's inputs are: the giant Vision projects to determine their need for jobs, occupational exposure studies to know the percentage of women and their location who are occupying jobs in SA, and studies of job opportunities issued by the commercial chamber. Subsequently, a team was formed from the organization's administrations and stakeholders after defining the project's scope and preparing its document, followed by several periodic meetings to follow up on work and implement the recommendations. The necessary credits for operating training facilities and accrediting various specializations were obtained from the Institutions' Operation and Equipment Committee. The technical facilities and the newly approved majors for females were gradually put into operation according to a well-studied plan and the necessary equipment was provided for them. The administrative and training cadres were appointed and qualified with parallel plans to the operational plans. A wide-ranging awareness and educational media campaign were used to market and attract targets in the specified areas. Moreover, there is increasing competition for the initiative's programs through contracts of strategic partnerships with the labour market to ensure jobs for female graduates. In the beginning, new programs and new faculties were closely followed up. Then an executive team was formed to follow up on the project, where the training facilities present three periodical reports of the training progress at the beginning of each semester. They are submitted to the Assistant Deputy Governor for the Females’ Training Sector to ensure that the training process is thriving and to ensure the sustainability of achieving the project’s objectives.

The initiative coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, due to which there were delays in awarding training equipment contracts to suppliers, resulting in equipment shortages in the training facilities. Therefore, local businesses were preferred as their surplus equipment was used in the current facilities. Microsoft has also agreed to collaborate on the enforcement of virtual laboratories and the expansion of augmented reality technology. Due to a shortage of qualified female trainers for some of the required specializations the rehabilitation of female trainers closest to those specializations through intensive developing training and cooperating with temporary male trainers helped in overcoming the shortage.

It pulled ahead in several achievements, including operating the first Digital College for females, enabling trainees to form scout teams and sports clubs, and training prison inmates. The training was also distinguished by supporting the trainees with the professional skills necessary for the labour market to enable them to get a job as soon as possible. This is done by establishing effective partnerships with reputable bodies inside and outside the Kingdom to support training and employment processes. Training is also distinguished by various forms, ranging from direct and indirect training using electronic training technologies as: virtual classrooms, self and integrated, among others.

Several internal and external initiatives were used as inputs for the initiative. Among the internal initiatives, developing specializations, the initiative to expand the operation of bachelor degree programs, and the e-training patterns developing initiative, have been beneficial. Among the external initiatives are the giant vision projects, such as the Red Sea project, Qiddiya project, tourism and entertainment projects, and the digital transformation project. These projects and the job opportunities that they will provide over the next five years have been deeply studied, and specializations have been approved accordingly to bridge the gap between labour market requirements and college outputs.

The initiative to expand training for girls is part of the organization’s project system, which is digitally empowered through the digital transformation department. These colleges have been equipped with admission and registration electronic systems, and the junior colleges and their trainees are allowed to use the available training platforms, such as Microsoft and Blackboard. As for the administrative aspect, special codes have been created for each college to activate electronic correspondence, employee affairs systems, and financial systems. These systems are generally the same in the colleges regardless of their location.

The initiative in its general form has not been implemented by other parties due to the uniqueness of the initiative's objectives, which are related to the expansion of technical and vocational training education for females in Saudi Arabia, the exclusive jurisdiction of TVTC. However, there are initiatives for other parties that are based on successful practices within the expansion initiative, such as Regional Educational Supervising offices, that benefit a lot from the initiative's best practices in small provinces.

All tasks and works of the project have been documented and uploaded on an electronic cloud platform to benefit from and refer to in the future so that the lessons can be learned from the initiative, and its obstacles and difficulties can be overcome in other similar experiences in education or other sectors, or in neighbouring countries. There may also be efforts to integrate with agencies that work to empower girls with job opportunities and empower women to hold leadership positions, such as the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, companies in the private sector, and others. Further, it is imperative to support the bodies that provide training or education, regardless of the field, with the skills and expertise necessary to make the appropriate balances between supply and demand, namely between the outputs of educational and training facilities and the needs of the labour market.

Human Resources: a team was formed to work continuously on the initiative until it reached its goals, and an executive team was formed to ensure the sustainability and continuity of the initiative. Financial Resources: funding has been granted to the initiative's relevant managements and to individuals who work directly on the project, such as curriculum management, along with the management of equipment. Funds have also been allocated for project management and maintenance for the implementation of projects and modern buildings. Moreover, training to qualify female trainers on specialities that are scarce in the region has also been provided.

The government supports the TVTC with the necessary financial resources as one of its agencies that handles several operational aspects of the national vision. However, this situation will gradually change due to the national tendency to privatize some government agencies. As a result, the appropriate studies were conducted within TVTC to ensure a smooth transfer of projects from complete government financial assistance to self-sufficiency. The initiative assured the sustainability of the executive teams with long-term contracts. One of the main tasks for leaders in training facilities is to make optimal use of available resources, i.e., trainers, and facilities, and invest in them.

Oui

The initiative is periodically evaluated and followed up by the Project Office at TVTC. The office occasionally tracks the initiative's progress and the extent to which it achieves its specific objectives. In addition, it monitors challenges and supports the executive team in overcoming them. The office evaluates the initiative through periodic reports and the performance indicators panel. It also participates in meetings. Education and Training Evaluation Authority is a non-profit governmental agency. It is the external authority that is responsible for evaluating accrediting technical facilities periodically.

The initiative was based on three major performance indicators, besides several sub-indicators. The number of female secondary school graduates admitted, the number of technical facilities for females, and the number of vocational specialities accessible are the most relevant indicators. The supervisory authorities followed up the achievement of these indicators through the electronic admission and registration portals, as well as the field and virtual visits to technical colleges. The progress of work is followed up in the faculties by receiving periodic reports from their leaders.

The evaluation determined that all targets were met on time, and some were even met ahead of schedule, such as achieving a total of 38 technical facilities for females by 2023, which was accomplished in 2021. A bachelor's degree was successfully created, and admission was approved. Training was confirmed in various electronic modes, such as virtual, hybrid, and self-training. Through the initiative, the level of demand for technical training for females increased as the acceptance rate reached 12% of the number of applicants, down from 26%. The initiative achieved high distinction in the field of optimal investment of financial and human resources, helping it to surpass several obstacles. All these outcomes are reported periodically to the initiative team, who use this information in developing the planning and implementation of the initiative.

A variety of internal and external collaboration defined this Initiative. Internal collaboration is with stakeholders from supporting departments within TVTC. At the top of the list is a collaboration with the General Department of Curricula, intending to develop programs and introduce new programs that support the qualitative expansion of the disciplines that the initiative aims for. There is a collaboration with the General Administration of Trainers Affairs to support it by providing jobs and attracting female trainers to run specific specializations and new colleges. There is also a collaboration with the E-Training Centre with current training techniques and the support of colleges with programs and systems that enhance the application of existing training patterns according to the demands of each curriculum. TVTC as the corporation that owns the initiative is supervised by tow ministries: Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. The initiative admission rates are balanced between universities and vocational collages in each region to accommodate all high school graduates. It forms linkages with universities to ensure appropriate opportunities for all trainees to complete education, frequently at no cost.

Since the first phase of the planning of the initiative, the internal stakeholders (the General Department of Curricula, the General Department for E-Training, and the General Department for Trainees’ Affairs) and the external stakeholders (employers, work organizations, and others) have been involved through periodic meetings, holding workshops, signing memoranda of cooperation, and forming committees to discuss the basics and directions of the initiative, define its objectives, and attract entities with common interests. Thus, the benefits were exchanged through providing training and logistical services on the part of the initiative to make use of the advantage of employment opportunities, support, or sponsorship for technical facilities activities for females by these external parties. Since the recent establishment of digital technical colleges in the region, a guidance council has been established. It includes members of major digital companies at local and international levels, such as Adobe, Oracle, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Service. The advisory council for training females' sector was also formed with the membership of officials of the National Work Committees, the Sports Union and some charities to attract businesswomen, and benefit from distinguished experts in this field.

An experience of this size and with such influential results has left a significant impact on the policies and procedures followed in TVTC. The most prominent impact includes the development of mechanisms to expedite the work of the scientific committees concerned with designing new training plans and programs, the development of the skills of some training cadres in line with the requirements and skills of new specialities, and the adoption of the issuance of professional licenses for the institution’s graduates to practise the profession in the labour market from the relevant authorities. To assure the continuity of the initiative's progress and development, it was proposed that follow-up studies be conducted to assess the impact of increasing female training across the Kingdom and to ensure that it is linked to the goals of the Kingdom Vision. It is beneficial to establish more collaborations to achieve the objectives of the new vision projects, such as the Human Capacity Development Program. The leaders of the initiative seek to work with the organization's strategic management office to include the initiative's goals into TVTC's primary metrics. They further aspire to continue expanding local and international collaborations to open new specializations in the region.