RIYADH, 12 March — The Kingdom’s Saudization program has given a new push to technical and vocational training involving German companies. This was disclosed to Arab News by Manfred Rothgaengar, secretary-general of the German Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO), at the start of a four-day meeting between Saudi and German companies in Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
All members of the ten-member mission represent middle-size companies with interests in the IT, medical, chemical, upstream and downstream oil and gas, and construction sectors as well as shipbuilding.
GESALO has arranged 140 meetings between Saudi and German businessmen as part of its effort to promote interaction and bridge the information gap on both sides. “The flying time between Germany and Saudi Arabia is less than five hours. We are so close, yet so far. To most Germans, Saudi Arabia looks like another planet, because German companies are not aware of the real situation in terms of cultural traditions and the economic system.”
Referring to the new trend in bilateral relations, Rothgaengar said vocational training is the current buzzword.
“Since the government wants to promote Saudization in the private sector, it has given priority to technical training for the supply of skilled manpower to replace the expatriate work force. We see this as a new growth area and an important aspect of Saudi-German relations,” he said.
The GESALO chief pointed out that they will be holding the first workshop on vocational training for participants from Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province on March 19 and 20. “We are holding the workshop in response to a growing demand for vocational training from the Kingdom’s private sector,” he said, adding that the objective is to assess the companies’ needs in terms of vocational training before developing tailor-made programs.
According to Dr. Ali Al-Ghafees, governor of the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training, the government has allocated SR580 million for setting up new technical colleges and operating the existing ones.
Earlier, Saleh Al-Athel, secretary-general of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he hopes that Germany, which has concentrated so far on the Kingdom’s petrochemical projects and now on the gas sector, would also pay attention to consumer products as part of its investment strategy.
With its population growing annually by 3.5 percent, Saudi Arabia offers a big market potential for manufactured products in the consumer sector.
