Human Capability Development Program

The Human Capability Development Program is one of the programs realizing Saudi Vision 2030, and it works to build a national strategy for developing the capabilities of citizens that begins in early childhood, passes through general education, university education and technical and vocational training, and extends to training and lifelong learning, with the participation of government entities, the private sector and the non-profit sector, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of citizens globally.[1]

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and Chairman of the program's committee, launched the program on 8 Safar 1443 AH (15 September 2021) as a national strategy aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of national human capabilities locally and globally.[2]

The program was launched on 8 Safar 1443 AH (15 September 2021) as one of the programs realizing Saudi Vision 2030, and it represents a national strategy aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of national human capabilities locally and globally by seizing the promising opportunities arising from renewed and accelerating needs.[2]

The program's plan comprises 89 initiatives aimed at achieving 16 strategic objectives among the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, and its strategy includes three main pillars: developing a solid and flexible educational foundation for all, preparing for the future labor market locally and globally, and providing lifelong learning opportunities.[2]

Since its launch in 2021 the program has worked to ensure the readiness of citizens at all stages of life by investing in national talent and competencies, ensuring alignment between education outcomes and labor market needs, reinforcing and supporting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, developing and reskilling skills, consolidating values, and spreading and caring for the Arabic language, leading to a prosperous economy led by highly efficient national capabilities.[1]

The program's sixteen strategic objectives comprise: reinforcing the values of moderation and tolerance; reinforcing the values of mastery and discipline; reinforcing the values of determination and perseverance; instilling national principles and values and strengthening national belonging; caring for the Arabic language; strengthening the family's participation in preparing for their children's future; reinforcing the values of positivity and flexibility and a culture of hard work among children; building an integrated educational journey; improving equal access to education; improving basic education outcomes; improving the ranking of educational institutions; providing quality knowledge to outstanding students in priority fields; ensuring alignment between education outcomes and labor market needs; expanding vocational training to meet labor market needs; improving the readiness of young people to enter the labor market; and reinforcing and supporting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.[1]

The program's chief executive, Anas Al-Mudayfir, directs the program's focus to developing high skills, so that its training does not target traditional jobs but ensures that every Saudi can compete in a highly competitive market for skills and that access to it is available.[3]

The program set targets for 2025 that include the enrollment of 40% of the Kingdom's children in kindergarten, the entry of 6 Saudi universities among the top 200 universities worldwide, the Kingdom's ranking reaching 45 in the World Bank Human Capital Index among 157 countries, and a 40% increase in the localization of jobs requiring high skills.[1]

The program also focuses on preparing and qualifying human capabilities in the Kingdom, developing the human capability system from early childhood to lifelong learning, developing education outcomes to align them with the needs of the current and future labor market, localizing high-skill jobs, and activating greater partnership with the private and non-profit sectors. Its targets include raising kindergarten enrollment opportunities from 23% to 90%, and the entry of two Saudi universities among the top 100 universities in the world by 2030.[2]

The program's committee is chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.[1]

The committee's members include Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources; Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, Minister of Culture; Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, Minister of Commerce; Mr. Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism; Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Engineer Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development; Mr. Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning; Mr. Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Bunyan, Minister of Education; Mr. Musad bin Nasser Al-Barak, Adviser at the Royal Court; and Dr. Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Sabti, Chairman of the Board of the Education and Training Evaluation Commission.[1]

The proceedings of the "Human Capability Initiative" conference began on 18 Sha'ban 1445 AH (28 February 2024) at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and Chairman of the program's committee.[4]

The Minister of Education and Chairman of the program's executive committee, Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Bunyan, affirmed in his opening speech that the initiative demonstrates the Kingdom's commitment to enriching global dialogue on human capability development and to strengthening actionable strategies and solutions, and that more than 200 world leaders and experts will join the initiative to exchange views on unlocking the potential of human capabilities and stimulating international cooperation.[4]

He announced that the conference would witness the announcement of more than 45 agreements reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to working collaboratively with partners and sectors from more than 70 countries in a shared mission to enhance human potential.[4]

The second edition of the conference saw the participation of 300 speakers from 40 countries and the attendance of about 13,000 participants from 120 countries, with the announcement of more than 100 initiatives and launches in human capability development sectors worth nearly 8.5 billion riyals.[5]

The program launched its annual report for 2025 on 28 Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 AH (14 June 2026) under the slogan "Extended Impact", reviewing the human capability development journey across the different age stages, from early childhood and general and university education to technical and vocational training and lifelong learning, in four main milestones: "An Identity Entrenched", "A Foundation Built", "Readiness Enhanced" and "Entrepreneurship Renewed".[5]

Among the most prominent items the report reviewed were the development of educational curricula and the inclusion of artificial intelligence as a mandatory subject in general education, the qualification of more than 13,000 male and female teachers in the fields of artificial intelligence and its applications, alongside the launch of a national platform for developing the professional capabilities of male and female teachers, benefiting more than 470,000 male and female trainees.[5]

Q: What is the Human Capability Development Program? A: It is one of the programs realizing Saudi Vision 2030, working to develop the capabilities of citizens from early childhood through general and university education and technical and vocational training and on to training and lifelong learning, with the participation of government entities, the private sector and the non-profit sector.[1]

Q: When was the program launched and who launched it? A: It was launched on 8 Safar 1443 AH (15 September 2021) by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and Chairman of the program's committee.[2]

Q: What are the program's pillars, and how many initiatives and objectives does it have? A: It rests on three pillars: developing a solid and flexible educational foundation for all, preparing for the future labor market locally and globally, and providing lifelong learning opportunities; and its plan comprises 89 initiatives aimed at achieving 16 strategic objectives among the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.[2]

Q: What are the program's targets in education and the labor market? A: The targets for 2025 include the enrollment of 40% of the Kingdom's children in kindergarten, the entry of 6 Saudi universities among the top 200 universities worldwide, 45th place in the Human Capital Index, and a 40% increase in the localization of high-skill jobs; and over the horizon to 2030, raising kindergarten enrollment from 23% to 90% and the entry of two universities among the top 100.[1][2]

Q: Who chairs the program's committee and who are its members? A: It is chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and its members include a number of ministers and specialists, among them the ministers of industry, culture, commerce, tourism, communications and information technology, human resources and social development, economy and planning, and education.[1]

The Human Capability Development Program offers a national path extending from early childhood to lifelong learning, linking education outcomes with labor market requirements and raising the competitiveness of citizens locally and globally within the targets of Saudi Vision 2030.[1][2]

Related topics on the platform include the Quality of Life Program, the National Transformation Program, the Public Investment Fund and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.