SAUDI ARABIA’S Shura Council, an unelected proto-parliament, agreed on April 22nd to consider a proposal to switch the country’s official weekend from Thursday and Friday to Friday and Saturday. The idea was first mooted in 2007, but was blocked by the council. Some members of the conservative Islamic clergy apparently opposed it on the grounds that it would mean observing the same weekend as the Jews—whose Sabbath lasts from Friday evening to Saturday evening—and might even be a step towards embracing the Saturday-Sunday weekend observed by Christians. So why is Saudi Arabia once again thinking of moving its weekend?

Although the seven-day week dates back at least as far 2350BC—when it was first formalised by Sargon I, king of the Mesopotamian empire of Akkad—the two-day weekend is a more a recent development. For much of history, the norm, first established by the Bible, was to work for six days and rest only on the seventh. For Jews and early Christians, that day was Saturday. When the Roman Empire embraced Christianity, Constantine the Great switched it to Sunday—some say in order to attract converts from the eastern religions who worshipped the Sun. A few hundred years later, the Koran fixed Friday as Islam’s holy day, on which Muslims must gather at midday for communal prayer—though there is no particular requirement to rest. But the idea of a two-day weekend is a product of modern day labour laws. (Indeed, Saudi Arabia is only now mulling legislation that would give private-sector employees the same rights to two days off that public-sector workers now enjoy.)  While much of the Middle East established Friday to Saturday weekends, a clutch of Gulf and north African countries took off Thursday and Friday instead. Yet as the economic cost of sharing only three working days (Monday to Wednesday) with international trading partners became increasingly apparent, most switched to Friday and Saturday. The most recent country to do so was Oman, on May 1st.

Saudi Arabia boasts the region’s biggest economy and largest stockmarket. As it tries to promote itself as a regional financial hub, it is paying an especially high price for keeping its calendar out of sync with its neighbours. Opinion polls suggest most Saudis approve of ditching the current weekend. Business has been pressing for change for years. And some private companies are taking unilateral action: the Savola group, a Saudi company that is one of the Middle East’s biggest conglomerates, is considering moving its weekend from the middle of this year to facilitate its operations with the rest of the region.

The issue has become a national topic of debate. Although there is no religious proscription against working on a Thursday, traditionalists balk at change. The switch may still not be approved; the Saudi gerontocracy has been notoriously slow to reform. But as the cost to Saudi Arabia’s economy becomes ever clearer in difficult economic times, the pressure to fall in line will continue to mount. As one of the few countries still resisting the change, commercial interests will probably trump conservatism eventually.

Ref: www.economist.com

Our leading client operating throughout the Kingdom of S.Arabia have the following workshop based teaching / training opportunities - 

Operator (2) –

Expd in 1 or more of the ff: Distillation/fractionation, reactor/catalytic, cryogenic, hydro treating, GOSP, WIP, utilities or tank farm operations. DCS experience Preferred. 

PCST/Instrument (7) –

Exp maint/t-shooting exp with 1 or more of the ff:  (PLCs) Allen Bradley System5, Triplex, Triconex, (DCS) Honeywell TDC3000, (Configuration experience preferred but not required), Monitoring Systems Bentley Nevada3300 (vibration), Compressor loading controls CCC; Gas Chromatography Intelligence Automation, Foxboro; Data Acquisition equipment SCADA, Harris Remote Terminal Units; proficient in Digital Tech Test Equipment, (Logic probes/”EPROM” programmers Analyzers/O-scopes); Use of IBM Personal Computer equipment required. 

Telecommunication (2)

Telecommunications engineer with experience working within the petrochemical or energy sector. 

Welder (2) –

Hands-on experience of SMAW method, welding of structural steelwork, Pipe welding of carbon steel, using E-6010 & E-7018 electrodes for open root, fill, and cap, plate sizes up to ¾ inch thick, pipe sizes 1-8 inch schedule 40 – schedule 140 pipe; GTAW of Stainless steel, Carbon Steel, low alloy  pipe welding of small bore pipe 1-2 ½ inch diameter; certified  to 100% Radiographic standards according to: AWS, ASME/ANSI, API, BS, ASTM Codes 

Pipe / Fabricator (1)

11y exp as pipefitter/fabricator in oil/gas or petrochem industries; reads fabrication drawings isometric & orthographic projections; develops material lists and fabrication templates. OR BS with 6y exp.

 Mechanical (3)

 – Mechanical Engineer, 5y exp, or mechanical maintenance technician min 6y oil/gas or petrochem. Experience in disassembly, inspection, repair of valves, pumps, gearboxes, compressors, operating lathe machines preferred. Knows/exp in: Bearings, Lubrication, LASER alignment, Vibration analysis, motor operated valve actuators, Mechanical seals, and Turbines.

 Electrical  (1)

 – 6y maintenance engineer or tech in oil/gas/petrochem; hands-on skills in maintenance/installation of electrical equipment & distribution system. Med HV experience required; trouble-shoot/repair AC machines, and UPS system, Motor operated valves,  using electrical/ electronic,  test equipment, schematics & 1 line diagrams.  Experience in repair of HV power transformers, ESD, battery monitoring and charging system; interpret logic & ladder diagrams.  Basic operation / programming of PLC.

HVAC / AC  (1)

Minimum of 7 years experience working within the petrochemical or energy sector.

Our client require senior candidates for these positions ideally degree qualified with 7 years relevant professional experience or 10 years non degree UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.

These positions come with very competitive base salaries, bonus and full Expat benefits – FREE accommodation, flights, health insurance etc.

If interested please send your CV to kieran.hinphey@ccmrecruitment.com or darren.ennis@ccmrecruitment.com

A monitoring and follow-up body for ongoing government projects in the capital has said that 740 government projects are being implemented at a total cost of SR 69.1 billion for the utilities sector in Riyadh.
According to the designated body at the High Commission for Riyadh Development (HCRD) that works to monitor projects in the Riyadh province, it is currently implementing 3,088 projects across sectors at a total cost of SR 278 billion.
The HCRD annual report shows that the five largest projects lie in the construction sector. The 12th power plant is being implemented within a SR 6.5 billion contract, a water station project at Ras-Akhair shift to the region at a cost SR 5.85 billion and a project that will create a network of healthy drinking water is to cost SR 3.86 billion.
The first phase of the strategic plan for water is worth SR 1.86 billion and a project for developing electricity distribution networks was valued at SR1.47 billion.
The follow-up program body aimed at monitoring projects taking place in the province is to formulate a comprehensive vision for development. The body is also tasked with overcoming obstacles the process may face for regional development, in addition to being a tool to activate a regional plan for the area.
The body also prepares reports on the progress of work in the region and projects submitted periodically to the Riyadh Governor, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, who is also HCRD chairman and head of the Provincial Council.

Ref: Arab news

Things in recruitment are finally getting a little bit exciting. So challenging is the recruitment market that we are hearing about the innovative ways some bright sparks are using to get employers’ attention, for example, Adam Pacitti, the 24 year old first class graduate who put his credentials on a billboard in London, generating thousands of calls from prospective employers. But what of we employers? Are we getting any better at recruitment?

Unemployment is still at an all time high, however employers complain that they are missing the key talent and capability so needed in new recruits. Recruitment agencies have available to them a greater variety of means to source that talent, from the old fashioned cold call to the plethora of diverse online and social media available to attract talent on the market. Once a number of candidates are lined up…are we facing them with the same old recruitment hurdles? Are we recruiting for talent or perseverance?

The fact is however that top talent never stays on the market for long. Most of us know this, but what are we doing with our recruitment processes? For many employers in Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole, these remain unchanged.

Think about your process. Has it been reviewed? Is it any less burdensome or bureaucratic? We look for innovators, yet what are we doing to innovate our recruiting processes?

What we often see is a form of ‘corporate recruiting’ that assumes that the best-qualified candidate for a job is the one willing to jump and dodge the most hurdles to get the job. What we get is the person who is more likely to be the most compliant, rather than the most innovative or talented. In effect ‘The Last Candidate Standing’.

Business Week recently listed its top ways that recruiting processes conspire to keep great people out while pulling in docile and compliant candidates. We suggest most employers are guilty of some if not all of these… 

1. Fail to include information about mission and values in promoting the post. Compose bland job descriptions that list all the tasks the new hire will perform, plus the long list of qualifications the ideal candidate must possess.
2. Write a job description that insults the reader from the start, using such language as: “Only applicants with “X, Y and Z” will be considered. Make sure the tone is such that readers know they will be lucky to get a reply.
3. Send interested applicants to a horrendously slow-moving and tedious recruiting website and require them to spend two hours or so filling out forms and uploading documents.
4. Throw in screening tests and extra requirements at candidates throughout the process, just to keep them guessing.
5. Take weeks or months to get back to people to schedule job interviews. At the interviews, keep them waiting, ask them predictable questions like “What is your greatest weakness?” and get offended when they inquire about the actual state of the team and the company.
6. Finally, leave candidates in the dark while you prepare the minimum possible remuneration offers, and then send the offers via e-mail with a message that says “We must receive your acceptance within 12 hours”.

Many of us have slipped into very generic recruitment processes, partly due to the concern about the need to meet equality legislation and follow consistently rigid procedures. We argue that as long as we cast a wide enough net and consider all applicants equally, we can be much more successful in sourcing movers and shakers by using a little imagination…here are some suggested tips from a variety of employers…

Chase the ‘Un-recruitable’
Actively seeking out candidates that are deemed ‘out of your league’ can prove worthwhile. Find out who is extremely happy in their current job, well-compensated, and has no reason or time to consider his / her position. Although counter intuitive, it can produce excellent results. The rising star who is disinterested today may become a motivated candidate next week.

Networking
Recruitment is partly about being prepared to get out and meet people who might be suitable for the company in the future. Get to know them. Coffees and lunches can be as good as any interview process and can lead to strong bonds when the timing is right.

Recruit for Attitude and Values / Train for Skills
Consider whether there is an immediate need for certain skills. If the skills can be trained, consider the attitudes and values which a person will need to work well for you. Be honest about these in your promotion of the post and build recruitment process around testing for these.

Make sure the team likes the Candidate
Fit is not to be underestimated. More companies now build in some sort of social event towards the end of a recruitment process where candidates get to meet and mingle with prospective team members. Essentially this is a sort of likability test. This is often called ‘fit’ and can be built into a selection process using measures of cultural fit to the organisation. Essentially if a candidate is not likeable there may be an issue with cultural fit which often leads to issues down the line.

Target Recruitment Ads to Your Top Fans
The best people (most loyal, innovative and committed) are often the ones who have already shown an affinity for your brand. Utilizing the Facebook ads filtering mechanism, one employer was able to allow vacant posts to be seen only by fans of their site. This technique has been called “Social Talent Acquisition,”. Another means of doing this is to limit promotion of your vacancies to publications which are read by people who already work in the industry or would have a special interest in your work or brand. Checks for affinity to your brand can also be built into the recruitment process.　

Require some Homework
If you want to know how a candidate will perform, ask them to do a little homework. From this assignment you will identify who are the passionate candidates, and who has really been thinking about the job they’ll need to perform. You’ll be able to weed out a quite a number of candidates since many simply won’t do the assignment or give you an excuse why they can’t do it.

Host a Contest
You could jump through all the hoops of the traditional recruitment process, or you can make candidates fight for the position by holding a contest. Some employers of young talent are asking potential recruits to participate in YouTube contests to show why they would be the best candidate. Some Marketing recruiters say this is hands down the best method they have used to select talent so far and is cheaper than a traditional assessment centre.

Ref: www.thinkpeople.co.uk