Daljeet Kaur Lal Jan 25, 2024
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Entrance Tips

Introduction To Skills Verification Program in Saudi Arabia

Benefits Of The Employment Eligibility Test 

  • The skills verification test will help evaluate all the workers from over 1,000 professions, preventing and limiting unskilled workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
  • Only qualified professional workers will be certified with a national professional license to practice their profession. 
  • Saudi’s private sector will be improved, which will directly influence the national economy.  

Final Thoughts 

To tackle the inefficiency in the labour market of Saudi Arabia, the Vision of 2030 implemented the Skills Verification Program on July 1 2021. With a strong plan divided into five phases, the government is easing into enhancing the productivity and quality of service across the private sector. The omission of unskilled laborers for over 1,000 specialized professions across 23 sectors will improve the national economy. 

The Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development (MHRSD) of Saudi Arabia launched the Skills Verification Program (SVP), also known as the Professional Verification Program, as part of the Vision 2030.  The Skills Verification Program aims to verify foreign employees’ skills to match a particular profession’s job requirements they are or will be practising in Saudi Arabia. This will stop the flow of unqualified workers to the Kingdom and create more jobs for the citizens of Saudi Arabia. 

The Skills Verification Program was launched on March 7, 2021. The SVP applies to around 1,000 specific professions of skilled workers in 23 occupations as defined by the Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations.  SVP is part of the Professional Accreditation system, aiming at regulating and improving the labour market by standardizing professional qualifications at par by the VISION 2030. 

In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Saudi Arabia and the Technical and Vocational Training Cooperation, the officials implemented the first phase of the Skills Verification Program on July 1 2021. The program was put forth to ensure upskilling and the competency level of the skilled workers in Saudi Arabia.  

What is The Skills Verification Program? 

Skills verification is a compulsory employment eligibility test divided into five phases, depending on the number of employees in a firm. It aims to verify that all the skilled workers in Saudi Arabia are qualified to perform their occupations.  The professional verification program allows the government to verify the skill level of foreign national workers. Depending on the size of the companies, the exam is phased into five parts:

PROGRAM PHASE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IMPLEMENTATION /STARTING DATE
1st Phase 3,000 or more workers July 1, 2021
2nd Phase 500 to 2,999 workers September 1, 2021
3rd Phase 50 to 499 workers October 1, 2021
4th Phase 6 to 49 workers November 3, 2021
5th Phase less than 6 workers January 2, 2022

Existing and prospective employers must take up the professional verification exam as mandated by the Saudi government. In cooperation with selected international exam centres, the foreign employees can complete the exam in their home country before arriving in Saudi.  

Content Of The Professional Verification Exam 

With more than 1,000 specialised professions from 23 fields to be evaluated, everyone will be given three takes to pass the exam. The program will examine all the skilled workers in their countries through international exam centres in two subsets. Another track will evaluate the existing workers in Saudi Arabia through certified local examination centres. 

The content of the professional verification exam contains both theoretical and practical sides. The exams are conducted in Arabic, English, Urdu, and the Philippines, as these languages cover 80 % of foreign workers in the country.

The Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development aims to free the labour market from unskilled workers that burden the national economy. With effective Corporate Training, you can easily pass the exam by enhancing work productivity and knowledge.  The professional verification program will impact the number of foreign nationals working in Saudi Arabia. Without any proper training or experience to pass the examination, it will lower the number of foreign applicants. 

Features Of The Skills Verification Scheme 

As the Saudi government’s Vision 2030 aims to create an exemplary and leading nation, the skills verification program enables an enhanced labour market with quality service across the private sector.  

Those who pass the qualifying examination will receive a five-year validity certificate which you can renew after five years after taking the examination. In addition, other features that you must be familiar with include: 

  • There are two types of tests - theoretical and practical. The test taker will not be allowed to take the practical test without completing the theory first. 
  • The test takers must oblige to the rules and regulations of the skills verification test. If doing the opposite or tampering with the test results, the officials will take serious action with a penalty fine. 
  • You can attempt the test maximum of three times. If you fail to pass the third time, the final exit will be issued. 
  • The test taker must present identification proof before attending the examination. 

Daljeet Kaur Lal is an HR Trainer who has extensive work experience of over 11 years. She is now working with Edoxi Training Institute, Dubai. She develops and executes various HR training programs to ensure that employees have the skills and knowledge to meet the organization's objectives.

She is passionate about learning new things. She enjoys spending her free time reading favourite books and listening to all-time favourite melodies in English and Hindi. She is also keenly involved in Adventurous activities and loves to travel a lot. 
 

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