Riyadh, March 7, 2021, SPA -- The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) launched today the “Professional Verification” program, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation. The program aims to verify that all skilled workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have required skills to perform the occupation they were recruited against effectively, and will include practical and theoretical examinations in the workers’ specialized fields. The program seeks to improve the quality of skilled workers in the Saudi labor market, enhance their productivity, improve the quality of services they provide, as well as reduce the influx of unqualified workers into the Saudi labor market. The “Professional Verification” program has two separate tracks: one track aims to examine all skilled workers in their countries, in cooperation with selected international examination centers, before their arrival in Saudi Arabia. While the other track aims to examine existing skilled workers in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with certified local examination centers. HRSD urges all establishments to begin the verification process for all their current skilled workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the verification will become gradually enforced - based on the size of the establishment - starting July 2021. As for the other track, the work visa for the targeted jobs will be linked to the skilled worker passing the examination in his country, and will be enforced on a gradual basis in accordance with a roll-out plan developed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the countries sending labor to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The “Professional Verification” program is expected to develop the skills of the workforce in Saudi Arabia according to international standards to meet the needs of the Saudi labor market, and it will target more than 1000 specialized professions belonging to 23 specialty fields as per the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations. This program is a part of the “Professional Accreditation” system, which seeks to regulate the labor market and improve the quality of employment in Saudi Arabia. HRSD urges all establishments wishing to conduct the examination for their skilled workers during the non-compulsory period commencing tomorrow Monday March 8, 2021 to register via the program’s official website: https://svp.qiwa.sa/ Moreover, all centers interested in becoming licensed to conduct the program’s examination are advised to register in the same link to verify their eligibility. --SPA 15:45 LOCAL TIME 12:45 GMT 0015 www.spa.gov.sa/w1516487