Riyadh: About 211 Saudi female recruits graduated after completing a basic individual training course at a prison facility, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
They had completed the third basic individual course in the Women’s Capacity Training and Development Center at the General Directorate of Prisons.
The female graduates received field skills and studied security sciences, which qualifies them to work efficiently in the fields of security and fieldwork.
At their graduation ceremony, the recruits staged a demonstration of military skills acquired during training. The show also included a demonstration of shooting skills.
The ceremony was held under the auspices of the Saudi Minister of Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, and was attended by representatives of government sectors and the families of the graduates.
On Wednesday, January 11, 255 other Saudi women graduated from a women’s military training institute, groomed for being members of the special forces in diplomacy and Haj security.
Since Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power in 2017, he has insisted on opening up the kingdom by diversifying the country’s economy and relaxing many gender-based rules.
In recent years, the Kingdom has witnessed extensive transformations, allowing women to drive by royal order in 2017, followed by unprecedented decisions, including the enrollment of women in the main branches of the armed forces, with different military ranks.
The decisions also allowed equality with men in the right to obtain a passport and leave the country with the abolition of the requirement of the consent of the guardian, as well as equality in the retirement age equivalent to 58 years.
The participation of women in business in Saudi Arabia has doubled in the last six years, with the Kingdom achieving the fastest growth rate in the participation of women in the world.
The percentage of female-led enterprises in the Kingdom jumped from 21.5 percent in 2016 to reach 45 percent in 2022 of the total start-up companies, according to statistics.
Data from the Saudi General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises indicated that the percentage of female-led enterprises in the Kingdom is almost close to the percentage of male-led enterprises.
On January 9, 2023, the Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) Ahmad Al-Rajhi revealed that the percentage of women participation in the labour market during 2022 has reached 37 percent.
