Riyadh: The first Saudi all-female business process outsourcing (BPO) service centre will aim to provide 3,000 jobs to Saudi women in the next three years, a media report said on Monday.

The BPO centre, which was inaugurated in Riyadh on Sunday, was jointly opened by Saudi Aramco, General Electric (GE) and Indian IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Saudi media reported.

Saudi Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Prince Saud Bin Khalid, Deputy Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), Khalid Al Falih, Saudi Aramco President and CEO, John Rice, GE’s Vice Chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director of TCS, and various dignitaries from government entities and business executives attended the inauguration ceremony.

Supported by the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF), the centre has begun operating with around 300 employees that have been trained in communication and presentation skills, corporate etiquette, global culture and basic computer programmes such as Microsoft Office and Excel.

About 100 of these new employees are fresh graduates, while the rest have two to three years of experience.

The opening of the centre was announced in September last year, with specialised services in finance, accounting, human resources, material supply and library services, in order to enhance operational efficiency for customers.