According to the Saudi Press Agency, MHRSD will launch the Skill Verification Program (SVP) in India at the end of this month.
India's capital city, New Delhi, and Mumbai, its largest and most commercial city, will be the pilot cities for the external track of the program.
First, five professions are selected for skill testing, including plumbers, electricians, welders, refrigeration/air conditioning technicians, and automobile electricians. Indian workers will be required to take written and practical tests before they can apply for a Saudi work visa under the program.
The SVP comes as a continuation of the efforts of the MHRSD to improve the professional competence of the skilled workers on the Saudi employment market, as well as to enhance their productivity, improve the quality of professional services they provide, and decrease the amount of unqualified workers entering the Saudi labor market.
In March 2021, the ministry launched the SVP in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC).
All skilled workers in the Kingdom will undergo practical and theoretical examinations in their specialized fields to ensure they have the necessary skills to carry out their jobs effectively.
To meet the needs of the local labor market, the ministry has targeted 23 specializations to contribute to developing the skills of the workforce.
Pakistan launched the first phase of SVP in September 2022. The program established a dozen examination centers to conduct written and practical tests for skilled workers in Pakistan before they could apply for Saudi work visas.
Takamol of MHRSD collaborated with Pakistan's National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTCC) to set up examination centers in eight cities.
The first track of SVP aims to examine the skills of professional workers currently in the Kingdom and that is in collaboration with local examination centers, while the second track aims to examine professional labor before their arrival, and that is in cooperation with a number of accredited international examination centers.
