JEDDAH, 16 July 2003 — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, yesterday attended the opening ceremony of a technical college at its temporary location in Taif and gave permission to open new colleges in Qunfudha, Hafr Al-Baten and Al-Dawadmi provinces.
Dr. Ali Al-Gufais, deputy director for technical education and professional training, told the Saudi Press Agency the college was the product of the government’s decision to give priority to technical education. He said he looked forward to the college moving to its permanent home soon.
The number of trainees in various training programs had risen to 100,000, he said, adding that the new college would help equip Saudis with the skills and qualifications they needed to enter the job market as part of the government’s continuing Saudization drive. This will have a positive impact on the economy, he said.
The new college joins an existing 20 technical institutes in the Kingdom that seek to serve the needs of the provinces and qualify Saudis for both the government and private sector.
Courses will include computing, electronic engineering and marketing for some 1,200 students, rising to 2,000 students in the future.
