Saudi minister directs universities to measure graduates’ employment rate, double admissions

Minister of Education Hamad Al-Sheikh

Saudi Arabia’s University Affairs Council, headed by Minister of Education Hamad Al Al-Sheikh, issued a number of resolutions for the development of universities.

These resolutions included universities’ measuring graduates’ employment percentage in each field, graduates’ employment percentage on a full-time and part-time basis, and the percentage of graduates employed in their field of study.

Universities will also measure the average basic and gross monthly salaries of fresh graduates to be included in the semi-annual reports, marking the importance of competition to achieve a balance between the universities’ academic programs and market requirements.

These decisions further included doubling the admission rates from 2020 in health, engineering, technical, applied and business administration colleges to enhance the educational process and help fulfill the labor market requirements.

Additionally, admission rates were halved in the majors, which are incompatible with the labor market. This decision will be effective for five years and evaluated after three years of implementation.

The University Affairs Council also decided to expand the application of professional certificates for all disciplines to upskill students and enhance the labor market, in line with the best global practices.