Author: Mon, 2019-12-16 22:38 RIYADH: The Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) announced that the number of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) registered on the Forsa platform for the 9/10ths Program has increased to 8,645 enterprises, and the total published value has exceeded SR416 million ($111 million). Hadaf launched the program in August 2016. It aims to support entrepreneurship and SMEs through its electronic services. The portal offers several online platforms including Forsa, Tojjar, Emdad, Bahr, Kanaf, Zadd, Atwar and Appweb, which aim to change Saudi work culture by encouraging entrepreneurship and SMEs and empowering individuals to create new jobs through innovation. The initiatives offer an interactive manual for entrepreneurs at all stages of their projects, from creating the idea to launch. The 9/10ths Program’s services include a startup for cultivating business ideas through providing mentorship and support. The Tojjar e-commerce platform is for home-based businesses and employers, the Bahr platform helps businesses find freelancers to finish projects and the Forsa platform gives beneficiaries access to bidding opportunities by the program’s partners. Hadaf announced that 373,000 citizens benefited from the employment support programs during the third quarter of 2019. Hadaf uses four channels to employ citizens in partnership with the private sector through the national portal for work, Taqat. The fund offers a number of programs and initiatives to support the employment of male and female citizens and increase their participation rate in the labor market. These include the employment skill enhancement program, the Hafiz unemployment scheme, the difficulty of finding employment, supporting Saudization in companies and self-employment, as well as improving part-time jobs.Main category: Saudi ArabiaTags: Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) Second phase of Saudi development fund’s training program begins