HRDF (Hadaf) training support: how it works for companies and training institutes

What HRDF is

The Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), known as Hadaf, was set up by a Council of Ministers decision in 1421H to support training and employing Saudi nationals in the private and non-profit sectors. Its products are grouped into counselling, training and enablement. This guide covers the training products a company or a training institute is most likely to meet. Rates and rules change, so treat the figures below as a snapshot and confirm them on hrdf.org.sa before you plan a budget around them.

Rule one: apply before training starts

The most expensive mistake is starting training and asking for support afterwards. HRDF’s FAQ for Strategic Partnership Institutes is explicit: the Fund is not obligated to provide any support before the support request is processed. Support starts from the date the employee is linked after the request becomes eligible, and if training started before the request, the months already spent are deducted from the support period once the Fund approves.

Make approval a step in your training calendar, not a form someone fills in later. No support request, no start date.

Strategic Partnership Institutes: 75% of training costs

This product trains and employs job seekers in specialised fields through training entities licensed by TVTC, under employment contracts with private-sector employers. Any private-sector establishment can apply, provided the training matches its registered activities. HRDF lists the support as follows:

• Training stage: 75% of training costs, up to SAR 3,000 per employee per month, for up to 24 months
• Salary during training: 75%, up to SAR 1,000 per employee per month
• Employment stage: 50% of salary for one year, up to SAR 2,000 per employee per month
• The employer covers the rest, and claims are submitted as invoices through HRDF’s system

Other training products to know

Maharat supports training in general and specialised professional skills with training entities licensed by the relevant authorities, for job seekers, new employees and existing private-sector staff. Its eligibility conditions are about paperwork as much as training: the training entity must be licensed, the program accredited, and the trainee registered after obtaining a completion certificate documented by the accrediting authority. HRDF’s guide doesn’t state Maharat’s support rate, so check it on the product page.

Hadaf Leadership prepares future Saudi leaders from the private sector with international universities, and HRDF covers the cost of the training program only. Applicants must be Saudi, employed in a private-sector establishment, hold at least a bachelor’s degree and have five years of experience, two of them supervisory. Doroob, HRDF’s e-training platform, lets establishments assign content to employees, build learning paths and follow completion through reports.

For training institutes

To be accredited as a new training entity for the Strategic Partnership product, HRDF asks for a training licence and accreditation as a non-profit training body from the National Center for Strategic Partnerships, plus a training facility. You register the entity in HRDF’s system and then sign an agreement at a branch. For other products, the common thread is the same: a valid licence, accredited programs, and records that prove each trainee completed what was approved.

A simple workflow for companies

Most problems with support come from timing and paperwork, not eligibility. A workflow that avoids them looks like this. Start from the training need and pick the HRDF product that fits it, then confirm that the training provider is licensed and the program accredited for that product. Check each trainee’s eligibility before you nominate them. Submit the support request and wait for it to be approved before the first session. During training, keep attendance and results as you go rather than rebuilding them at the end. When the period closes, reconcile the invoice against attendance and dates before you submit the claim. If you train through a training center, agree in writing who keeps which record and how you’ll receive it.

The records to keep

HRDF’s public pages don’t publish a single checklist, and attendance rules sit in each product’s agreement and service terms. Whichever product you use, a claim is easier to defend when each of these is on file per trainee:

• The approved support request and its date, before the first session
• Eligibility evidence: nationality, employment and social insurance registration with your establishment
• The accredited program as delivered, with dates and hours
• Attendance for every session
• Assessment results and the completion certificate
• Invoices and payments that match the claim period

How Classbase helps

Classbase is designed to keep a cohort’s evidence together: who enrolled and when, attendance per session, results, and verifiable certificates with hours, exportable for a client or a claim. It doesn’t submit HRDF requests for you, and it doesn’t replace HRDF’s own systems. Book a demo to see a cohort record end to end.