JEDDAH, 4 October 2004 — Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed has described the Saudi-Japanese Automobile Institute (SJAHI) as the nation’s pride and its first graduation ceremony as a giant leap toward the Kingdom’s ongoing Saudization drive.
“The first group of 190 graduates, after a two-year successful study at the institute, has shown that Saudi men are capable of learning and achieving technical knowledge and expertise and be on a par with the best anywhere,” the governor said. He was presiding over the graduation ceremony at SJAHI, 25 km from Jeddah on the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway, yesterday.
As he was welcomed into the ceremony hall, the governor mingled with the graduates and gave them a word of advice and encouragement. “As you now start taking up jobs in various automobile companies, you should continue your efforts to excel in whatever you do and set examples for others,” he said.
Japanese Ambassador Yasuo Saito, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) President Yoshiyasu Nao, Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) Director Dr. Muhammad Al-Sahlawi, General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) Governor Dr. Ali Naser Al-Ghafees, aside from SJAHI Director Salim Hassan Al-Asmarei were among those present. Representatives of Japanese Automobile Dealers in the Kingdom (JADIK), who included Muhammad Jameel of Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd and Ali Alireza of Haji Husein Alireza, also graced the occasion. Aside from the Toyota and Mazda distributors, those of Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Isuzu, Subaru and Daihatsu are partners in the SR100 million project with Japanese car manufacturers.
The governor, who praised Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd. for its initiative and pioneering role in the institute, described the project as a product of perfect planning of the Kingdom’s march toward Saudization.
SJAHI was established in September 2002 with the collaboration of Saudi and Japanese governments to promote Saudization program and to train Saudi youth in automobile service technology and hone their skills.
The establishment of the institute had its origin in 1998 when Crown Prince Abdullah visited Japan. The crown prince dedicated the institute to the nation on March 20, 2003.
SJAHI is one of the most successful examples of cooperation between the Kingdom and Japan and “we consider it as a role model of our bilateral cooperation,” Japanese Ambassador Yasuo Saito said.
JAMA President Yoshiyasu Nao said with the graduation of the first group of skilled maintenance technicians, the Kingdom was taking a giant stride forward for the expansion of its automobile industry.
He recalled that JAMA had provided extensive technical support to the project including experts from Japan and the preparation of training curriculums.
