SAFE Center for Safety, Risk and Crisis Management concluded the Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner Program at the basic level, for the first graduation class, with the final comprehensive exam offered by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in collaboration with the Human Resources Fund (Hadaf). The objective of the program is to localize occupational safety and health professions and to support the qualification of the national workforce and its employment in the private sector.

Moreover, SAFE Center presented an introductory meeting on the program of the Occupational Safety and Health Personnel (Kawadir), one of the programs offered to increase the attractiveness of the labor market and boost the level of professional safety and health in the business sector. The program intends to achieve these objectives by focusing on developing skills and providing tips and guidance related to the field of the program and its goals, which are aligned with the aims of the Saudi Vision 2030.

In this regard, the UQU Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Ali Al-Sha`iri, said that the services of the SAFE Center are compatible with the National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS) in the field of professional safety and health. He explained that after completing the training, the program offers the trainees the basic level certificate of "practitioner" with an accreditation number from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development as well as accreditation from Umm Al-Qura University, represented by the Consulting Research and Studies Institute.

Dr. Ali Al-Sha`iri added that the number of the trainees included in the program amounted to 500 beneficiaries in the training services: 300 "practitioner" trainees and 200 "professional" trainees. He pointed out that the center is looking to achieve larger numbers in the coming period in order to realize the objectives of the Human Resources Development and the National Personality Strengthening programs.

On his part, the Acting Dean of the Consulting Research and Studies Institute, Dr. Faisal Osrah, said that SAFE is one of the initiatives launched by the institute to develop human capacities. It also aims to provide the private sector with the national cadres in order to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Vision program and enrich the educational and applied content via the institutes training programs, which provide the different sectors of the labor market with qualified cadres.

On her part, the Supervisor General of SAFE Center, Dr. Aliaa Alfi, said that the outputs of the program are tailored to employ the trainees, after obtaining the certificate, in jobs accredited by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and for them to register in the system of the General Organization for Social Insurance for occupational safety and health. This is in addition to providing all introductory information and data for the safety cadres in the future.

Dr. Alfi added that UQU is the only university in the west region whose program has gained accreditation. She also noted that the staff work together to achieve the strategic objectives which realize the most significant pillars of the Saudi Vision 2030 in strengthening the knowledge economy and ensuring its sustainability. This is achieved by means of developing the human capital in terms of skills and knowledge.

It is worth mentioning that SAFE center for Safety, Risk and Crises Management is one of the initiatives which have been approved in the programs of the Saudi Vision 2030 and one of the initiatives adopted by the Ministry of Education in the National Transformation Program 2020. Furthermore, SAFE is one of the centers of Umm Al-Qura Oasis for Counseling established by the Consulting Research and Studies Institute.