Riyadh: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, in cooperation with the National Center for Environmental Compliance, has launched 'Athr,' a new platform for freelance professions in the field of environmental compliance. This initiative is part of a professional accreditation effort aimed at regulating the environmental services market and enabling individuals to engage in environmental work within approved regulatory frameworks.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the platform was introduced during the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC) with several officials in attendance. During the launch event, it was announced that 99 licenses have been issued to environmental practitioners who will collaborate with the private sector to prepare environmental management plans for low-impact facilities.

The center highlighted that the platform is opening the environmental services market to individuals in the Kingdom for the first time. This new market segment is expected to serve more than 50,000 establishments. In this initial phase, licensed practitioners will focus on providing competitive services to facilities with low environmental impact, particularly within the automotive workshop sector.

The subsequent phase is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of this year. It will involve the qualification of additional practitioners through specialized training programs in collaboration with Saudi universities, with the aim of expanding services into more environmental fields.