RIYADH: Aiming to create more job and career advancement opportunities for the national workforce, Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources Development Fund approved 18 professional certificates. With this move, the total number of approved professional certificates in the Kingdom has jumped to 146, according to a statement. The fund disclosed that the newly approved certificates serve three professional fields: finance and banking, industrial engineering and information technology. It said that the new accreditation will help boost the competitiveness of the Kingdom’s national workforce. The accreditation will also motivate the Saudi workforce and help develop its skills and experience in various sectors. The fund is known to collaborate with other programs to empower national cadres and further develop their professional skills and capabilities. It is seeking to build a productive and stable workforce in line with the strategic objectives of the Kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. In March, the fund launched a new strategy and identity to support the development of a sustainable workforce in the Kingdom through training, empowerment and counseling programs. The new strategy aims to help the development of human capabilities and allow them to enter and remain sustainable in the labor market. In January, the fund also signed a cooperation agreement with the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program to encourage the training and recruitment of Saudis. Furthermore, it claimed that in 2022, it facilitated the employment of 400,000 persons in the private sector.