Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, December 3, 2006: Does your employer invest in training? If so, you are one of the lucky ones in the Gulf, according to a recent survey by the Middle East's number one job site, Bayt.com.

Companies in Saudi Arabia are among the worst performers for training, though newer businesses like mobile provider i2 are starting to set a more positive example, experts say.

More than half of the 641 Gulf-based professionals who took part in the Bayt.com online poll in September said they receive no formal training and are expected to 'learn on the job'.

A further 17.2 per cent said they receive some skills coaching but it is insufficient, and only 32.4 per cent, less than a third, said that industry training is a regular feature of their job. The Bayt survey ran from September 14-21.

Bayt.com CEO, Rabea Ataya, said: "While attitudes are changing, there is still the view that employees are a commodity rather than an asset - and there is a reluctance to invest. The Gulf business community needs to plan for the long term and use training to maximise staff performance and motivation."

Ataya added: "The Gulf is associated with transient workforces, and in the past companies have looked for fully trained employees that could assume roles with a minimum of coaching. But as cost considerations oblige employers to recruit more staff from the local talent pool, and as companies seek to retain staff, training needs to be given more priority."

According to Jihad El Eit, Vice President of Marketing for Saudi-based mobile provider i2, training is essential to combat competition and retain employees.

He said: "The concept of investing in training is not well understood in Saudi Arabia, particularly for women staff. But it is important for companies to change their attitude as training not only boosts morale, it also helps increase performance." 

Founded in 1993, i2 is the region's largest mobile phone provider, with 1,300 employees across 350 stores in 20 countries.

El Eit said: "At i2 we believe that investment in training is essential for all employees at all levels. Training becomes even more important for companies with a large network to ensure uniformity in service standards and brand positioning."

Regional business can learn valuable lessons from the experience of multinational companies, according to C.K Cho, General Manager, LG Saudi Arabia. LG runs its own university in Korea, where employees attend courses for as long as three months, and employees are encouraged to pursue their own retraining, such as MBA study.

LG opened its second academy in Saudi Arabia earlier this year to educate contractors about its market leading air-conditioner products.

Cho said: "The main objective of the academies is to upgrade the knowledge and technical skills of service technicians and engineers, but they also benefit school-leavers and graduates. The company's first AC academy in Riyadh has already trained several hundred technicians, and similar academies for installers and contractors are run in the UAE as well."

Cho said: "If a person's skills are static then he or she won't grow and will be left behind. Training should be used as a motivational tool."

Founded in 2000, Dubai-based Bayt.com has offices in 10 regional cities - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Doha, Manama, Kuwait City, Amman and Islamabad.

With a database of more than 1.25 million users, mostly from around the GCC but also the wider Middle East, Africa, Asia, North America and Europe, Bayt.com conducts regular user and visitor polls on pressing employment issues.

Bayt.com job seeker poll 

14/09/06 to 21/09/06 (total respondents: 641)

Does your employer invest in training?

Yes, regular industry training is an important feature of my job - 32.4%

There is training, but it's not sufficient - 17.2%

No, not at all, we have to learn on the job - 50.4%                                      

-Ends-

Editor's notes:
Bayt.com is the leading recruitment consultancy and job site in the Middle East, offering a complete range of end-to-end employment solutions and career planning tools, both online and offline.Bayt.com is fully functional in both English and Arabic and offers the fastest, easiest, most effective and cost efficient methods for employers to find quality candidates, and for job seekers to find top jobs in the Middle East and North Africa. 

Bayt.com is committed to the region and understands the Middle East market better than anyone else. Its fully bilingual platform is the first and only such platform in the region, and Bayt.com has 10 regional offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, Manama, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Amman, Doha, Islamabad. With over 1.25 million professionals and 25,000 leading organisations using Bayt.com's recruitment services across all industry categories and career levels, Bayt.com is today the single largest marketplace of professionals and companies in the region.  Post your jobs, search our databases or find your dream job online today with Bayt.com, the Middle East's number one job site. 

© Press Release 2006