Addressing social challenges in Al-Kharj governorate: A proposal for improving education and employment opportunities
Main Article Content
Abstract
Education has been argued to be how communities build socio-economic progress and integrate social inclusion at all levels. This proposal outlines a plan to enhance education and employment opportunities in the region, aiming to bridge gaps in skills and create pathways for sustainable livelihoods. The paper focuses on the education and employment challenges faced by the Al-Kharj community and the country at large. The study adopted a mixed method of collecting qualitative and quantitative data gathered from 973 participants. The data was comprehensively collected and analysed using interviews, surveys, and statistical and thematic analysis methods. The findings indicate that the community encounters both positive and negative trends in education and employment. The data shows that providing quality education is a massive challenge due to inadequate facilities, lack of professional workshops, and mismatch of educational content and labour market requirements. Firstly, interviews with a variety of stakeholders, mainly the natives, school lecturers, administration, and policy analysts, made it clear that these issues require effective strategies in order to be resolved. Regarding employment, the study suggests that education makes a great deal of difference as interviewees relate it to improving social cohesion and poverty alleviation. Based on the surveys and interviews conducted, the paper concluded that the solutions to education problems in Alkharj would need to be multi-faceted. Vocational training and the involvement of local companies will be efficient steps to close the gap between education and employment. The interviews and surveys affirm these conclusions, with the respondents mentioning the need to align education with current market needs and the broader benefits of improved education and employment opportunities.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms: Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
How to Cite
References
Abdelwahed, N. A. A., & Al Doghan, M. A. (2022). Entrepreneurs’ perceptions towards the dynamic role of entrepreneurship in overcoming poverty. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 26(4), 1-13.
Aldawsari, M. I. (2022). Relationships of the Overall Globalization Index Growth, Economic Performance and Education System in Saudi Arabia. Robert Morris University.
Alfawaz, A., Hilal, K., & Alghannam, Z. (2014). Would the educational programs help in solving Saudi Arabia’s employment challenges?. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 3(1), 24.
Alghamedi, A. (2016). Enhancing employment opportunities in the Saudi Arabian private sector. Pepperdine University.
Alhawsawi, S., & Jawhar, S. S. (2023). Education, employment, and empowerment among Saudi women. Gender and Education, 35(4), 401-419.
Almahdi, H. (2015). Promoting entrepreneurs and economic growth through entrepreneurship programmes: a new role of Saudi universities (Doctoral dissertation, Brunel University London).
Almulla, M. (2018). Investigating teachers’ perceptions of their own practices to improve students’ critical thinking in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education, 6(3), 15.
Almutairi, N. T. (2023). Does investment in human capital via education stimulate economic growth in an oil-rich country? A case study of Saudi Arabia. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 1-23.
Alnahdi, G. (2020). Are we ready for inclusion? Teachers’ perceived self-efficacy for inclusive education in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 67(2), 182-193.
Alnahdi, G. H., & Schwab, S. (2021). Inclusive education in Saudi Arabia and Germany: Students’ perception of school well-being, social inclusion, and academic self-concept. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 36(5), 773-786.
Al Lily, M., & Waibel, H. (2021). The socioeconomic determinants of urban poverty in Saudi Arabia (No. 691). Hannover Economic Papers (HEP).
Al-Mubaraki, A. A. (2011). National and global challenges to higher education in Saudi Arabia: Current development and future strategies. Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific: Strategic Responses to Globalization, 413-430.
Al-Qahtani, M. M. Z., Alkhateeb, T. T. Y., Mahmood, H., Abdalla, M. A. Z., & Qaralleh, T. J. O. T. (2020). The role of the academic and political empowerment of women in economic, social and managerial empowerment: The case of Saudi Arabia. Economies, 8(2), 45.
Alshraah, S., ALawawdeh, N., Issa, S. H. M., & Alshatnawi, E. F. (2024). Digital initiative, literacy and gender equality: Empowering education and language for sustainable development. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.58256/pezb1n02
Al Taweel, I. R. (2020). The impact of higher education outcomes on labour market requirements under the vision of Saudi Arabia 2030. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 7(6), 110-115.
Amjad, A. S. A. Relationship between Education and Economic Growth: A Case Study of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 7(6), 140-155.
Baqadir, A. A. (2013). A skills gap between industrial education output and manufacturing industry labour needs in the private sector in Saudi Arabia (Doctoral dissertation, University of Glasgow).
Barry, A. (2021). Equal Opportunity in Education and Employment in Saudi Arabia: Heading in the Right Direction but Challenges Remain. Educational Planning, 28(1), 7-21.
Breisinger, C., Ecker, O., Al-Riffai, P., & Yu, B. (2012). Beyond the Arab awakening: policies and investments for poverty reduction and food security. Intl Food Policy Res Inst.
Chihaoui, N., Alshraah, S. M., ALawawdeh, N., Alshraah, A. M., Issa, S. H. M., Al-masaudi, O. A. Q., Alshatnawi, A., Ahmad, G. (2023). Leveraging Technology for Poverty Alleviation and Economic Growth in Saudi Arabia in Addressing the Sdgs 1 and 8 Initiatives. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies, 15(04), 208-232. doi:10.34109/ijefs.202315411
Golkowska, K. (2017). Qatari women navigating gendered space. Social Sciences, 6(4), 123.
Li, S., Li, C., Hasan, M. M., Moudud-Ul-Huq, S., & Iram, R. (2023). Evaluating the role of education and human capital in poverty reduction and inclusive growth in south Asia. The Singapore Economic Review, 68(04), 1323-1344.
Mandourah, L. A. E., UniversitiTeknologi, M. A. R. A., Alam, S., & Samad, S. (2022). Issues and Challenging of Education System in Saudi Arabia.
Moshashai, D., Leber, A. M., & Savage, J. D. (2020). Saudi Arabia plans for its economic future: Vision 2030, the National Transformation Plan and Saudi fiscal reform. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 47(3), 381-401.
Nassar, H., & Biltagy, M. (2017). Poverty, employment, investment, and education relationships: the case of Egypt. Sage Open, 7(2), 2158244017697156.
Olopade, B. C., Okodua, H., Oladosun, M., & Asaleye, A. J. (2019). Human capital and poverty reduction in OPEC member-countries. Heliyon, 5(8).
Quamar, M. M. (2020). Education system in Saudi Arabia: Of change and reforms. Springer Nature.
Sarangi, N. (2015). Economic growth, Employment and Poverty in Developing Economies: A focus on Arab region. ESCWA.
Schneider, F. (2005). Shadow economies around the world: what do we really know?. European Journal of Political Economy, 21(3), 598-642.
Singh, H. P., Singh, A., Alam, F., & Agrawal, V. (2022). Impact of sustainable development goals on economic growth in Saudi Arabia: Role of education and training. Sustainability, 14(21), 14119.
Singh, A., Singh, H. P., Alam, F., & Agrawal, V. (2022). Role of education, training, and E-learning in sustainable employment generation and social empowerment in Saudi Arabia. Sustainability, 14(14), 8822.
Taweel, M. (2018). Technical and vocational education and training to address skills mismatch and unemployment: the case of Saudi Arabia (Doctoral dissertation, Kingston University).