DHAHRAN, 2 September 2004 — Saudization efforts have taken an important step forward through a new initiative by Saudi Aramco to partner with vocational and industrial colleges and private-sector institutes in the Kingdom.
The efforts are aimed at aligning the skills of graduates with the needs of the company and its contractors so that future members of the work force will have the qualifications to be directly hired.
In November, the first group of students will begin a one-year apprenticeship program. Initially, candidates will be selected from graduates with degrees in four majors: electrical, electronics, telecommunications, and air conditioning and refrigeration. More disciplines will be added during the implementation phase after further evaluation.
Saudi Aramco’s existing two-year apprenticeship program will continue to be available to eligible graduates of high schools and colleges. This training partnership initiative is an extension of the Saudization-inspired contractor training initiative that has been in place for more than two years.
This initiative for partnership with vocational and industrial colleges and private-sector institutes received the full support of high-level Saudi Aramco management. In keeping with the long-term economic goals of the Kingdom, Saudi Aramco hopes, through this and other programs, to augment and energize government and private-sector efforts to develop Saudi human resources.
The initiative paves the way for Saudi Aramco Training and Career Development (T&CD) to exchange resources and establish partnerships with these colleges and institutes. In September 2003, T&CD brought together experts from a variety of disciplines to conduct feasibility studies and identify institutions with which to establish partnerships. T&CD teams then worked with the parties concerned to create bridging programs involving specific training areas.
In June, a delegation chaired by the governor of the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training and including 24 executives of the colleges visited the Saudi Aramco Training Center in Ras Tanura. They discussed ways to enhance the partnership and agreed to establish teams for follow-up. That already has begun with the institution of the Saudi Aramco Training Partnership Project within T&CD.
