JEDDAH, 6 March 2005 — King Abdul Aziz University President Professor Osama ibn Sadik Tayeb will open MEETES ’05 — The 11th International Event for Education, Training, Human Resources, Equipment, Aids and Services at the Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Center at Madinah Road at 5 p.m. today.
Alongside a large number of leading Saudi organizations, countries participating in this five-day annual event include Australia, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Malaysia, India, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
A high profile symposium on subjects related to the field of education, training and human resources is being hosted as part of the exhibition with the support of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Vocational education and training, seen as an important part of the government’s program of Saudization, will be in focus, as there is an ongoing plan to provide jobs to Saudi citizens in a bid to replace foreign nationals and reduce unemployment among Saudis. This is also meant to reduce unemployment among Saudi men, which is estimated at over 15 percent. The General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT), established as part of the Kingdom’s drive toward Saudization, will be in focus as it aims to improve training and qualification for skilled trades to meet the actual needs of the labor market.
“It is against this background that the education expo, the first among 10 major international trade exhibitions planned for 2005, has generated tremendous interest and enthusiasm among young Saudis in particular,” a spokesman for Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE) said yesterday. Ace has the track record of creating partnerships over the last 25 years through the staging of trade exhibitions.
The exhibition will be open daily from 5:30 to 10:30 pm, while the parallel symposium will be held from Monday through Wednesday (March 7-9) between, 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.