RIYADH: Oracle is set to train 50,000 Saudi nationals in artificial intelligence through a program in collaboration with Future Work and supervised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Under the program called Mostaqbali, local talent will receive training and certification in the latest cloud-powered digital technologies, including AI, machine learning, and the Internet of Things, said Gary Miller, executive vice president and customer success officer at Oracle. Talking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Global Labor Market Conference in Riyadh, he said the multi-year learning initiative will be open to all Saudi nationals to boost local employment opportunities and help regional organizations accelerate digital transformations with readily available local talent. With Vision 2030’s initiatives in mind and its extensive focus on the digital economy, it aims to ensure that the Saudi youth has the needed technological capabilities to ensure their employability, the executive noted. He said the Vision 2030 is focused on the Kingdom’s digital transformation and developing a digital economy. The executive said a large number of youth are interested in joining the field and companies are also seeking talent with the necessary skills. “So really it’s a unique program” based on the needs of the country and its people, he added. Mostaqbali will be available to all Saudi nationals at different stages of their learning and professional careers — from students just entering the workforce to young working professionals — with a special focus on youth and women. “We think younger people and women will be attracted. This program, Future Work, is going to actually provide a starter list of people that are looking for these kind of careers. So that will start the pipeline. We want to create a whole pipeline of, you know, training people, sharing their capabilities with companies and partners and really making that match so that when people that go through this program start work, they hit the ground running, they don’t need for the training and they can contribute to those companies in this digital economy,” Miller said. As noted by the vice president, the main goal is to harness young talent and future leaders from Saudi nationals in the Kingdom.