The Ministry of Economy and Planning held a special ceremony on Monday, the 24th of July 2023, to launch new programs under its National Capability Development Initiative, in addition to graduating the first batch of its Economic Leaders Program launched last year. The program is designed to develop Saudi leadership competencies, and provide them with the skills they need to play their important role in advancing economic development, and contribute to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

During the graduation ceremony, His Excellency Suliman A. Alobaid, Assistant Minister of Economy and Planning, unveiled three new programs as part of the Ministry's endeavor to develop Saudi national competencies: Generation of Economics, Economics Pioneers, and National Public Policy Fellowship, in addition to introducing the second edition of the highly successful Economic Leaders Program.

The Generation of Economics Program aims to shape the next generation of Saudi leaders, introducing them to the main concepts of leadership, public policy and key economic concepts while the Economic Pioneers Program aims to shape the future workforce by ensuring that they are prepared with the skills of the future labor market. Meanwhile, the National Public Policy Fellowship Program focuses on providing senior government leaders in the Kingdom with the opportunity to enhance their intellectual leadership skills, and connect them with global leaders in this field.

Mohammed A. Al Shehri, Deputy Minister for Human Capital and Organizational Culture said:
'The launch of the National Capability Development Program is testament to the Ministry's commitment to helping Saudi youth develop their technical skills and enhance their economic expertise, in a way that helps to expand the scope of economic expertise in the Kingdom, and thus support the process of development and sustainable development in Saudi Arabia.'

Continuous efforts to empower Saudi youth and enhance their knowledge
 During International Youth Day in 2022, the Ministry of Economy and Planning had launched its National Capability Development Initiative, which is aligned with the goals of the Human Capabilities Development Program, one of the executive programs of Saudi Vision 2030. This initiative supports the Ministry's goals to empower Saudi youth, develop their capabilities, activate their role, and aims to groom the next generation of leading economists in the Kingdom. The initiative included four programs: the Economic Leaders Program, Job Shadowing Program, Training Programs and Scholarship Benefits Program.

The Economic Leaders Program, undertaken in partnership with Altamayyuz Academy, is a high-quality program that focuses on leadership skills in the government sector in the fields of economics, public policy and social sciences. The Job Shadowing Program - provided in cooperation with the Misk Foundation - offered high school students the opportunity to integrate into the future labor market, to explore their academic options and plan their professional future and career paths. Moreover, the Ministry also offered Training Programs that enabled students to apply academic studies in real life work environments through a summer cooperative training, resulting in an official certificate from the Ministry upon completion .

The Ministry of Economy and Planning sets among its objectives   educating young people on the role of future planning, to help foster innovation and capabilities required to deliver on Saudi Vision 2030. The Kingdom's National Transformation Program highlights the importance of the role of youth in advancing economic development and preparing them for future leadership positions.