At the end of this month, according to the Saudi Press Agency, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) will introduce the Skill Verification Program (SVP) in India.
New Delhi, the capital of India, and Mumbai, the largest city and the nation’s commercial metropolis, will host the program’s trial phase for the external track.
Five occupations, including plumbing, electrical work, welding, refrigeration/air conditioning work, and car electrical work, are chosen for the first phase’s skill testing.
Before Indian workers may apply for a Saudi work visa, the programme requires them to pass written and practical tests for qualified workers.
The SVP is a continuation of the MHRSD’s initiatives to increase the professional competence of skilled workers in the Saudi labour market, increase their productivity, raise the standard of the professional services they offer, and decrease the influx of unqualified people.
In order to guarantee the competency of skilled professionals on the Saudi labour market, the ministry launched the SVP in March 2021 in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC).
The programme will involve practical and theoretical assessments in the workers’ specialised sectors in order to ensure that all skilled workers in the Kingdom possess the necessary abilities to perform the profession for which they were hired.
In an effort to help the workforce develop its abilities in accordance with worldwide standards and to fulfil the demands of the regional labour market, the ministry has set its sights on 23 specialisations.
The ministry began the first phase of SVP for five professions in Pakistan in September 2022.
Twelve testing facilities were set up as part of the scheme to test Pakistani skilled professionals before they could apply for a work visa for Saudi Arabia.
The testing facilities were created in cooperation with Takamol of
A number of recognised worldwide examination centres are involved in the second track of SVP, which tries to assess professional labour before it arrives. The first track of SVP intends to evaluate the skills of professional employees currently present in the Kingdom.