Addressing the skills gap in Saudi Arabia: does vocational education address the needs of private sector employers?

This article reports the findings of data drawn from doctoral research on the extent to which recent changes in vocational training have addressed a perceived skills gap between the needs of private sector employers and potential workers in Saudi Arabia. While the Saudi government has made efforts to enhance the quality of vocational education, and has an ongoing policy of Saudisation to try to encourage employment of Saudi workers rather than expatriates, this study presents evidence that suggests a skills gap still exists. The findings highlight a perception among private sector employers that technical education fails to offer Saudi students sufficient vocational training to teach them the level of skills and attitudes to work that the employers require. The perceived skills gap centres on three factors: work ethics, specialised knowledge and generic skills.