RIYADH, 2 December 2005 — Saudi students who have avoided studying in Sweden because of the language can now pursue their higher education there with English as the medium of instruction. Acknowledging that the language had been an obstacle to Saudi students wishing to study in Sweden, Swedish Ambassador Ake Karlsson said the situation had changed and young Saudis could see for themselves the educational facilities that his country had to offer. The facilities are highlighted at the Modern Sweden Exhibition inaugurated by Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Saleh Al-Namla at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh.
Sponsored by Volvo and Ikea, the exhibition will run till Dec. 6. It brings together some leading Swedish companies from the transportation, telecommunication, consumer, healthcare, food, industrial and other sectors. Addressing a press conference, Ambassador Karlsson explained how Sweden had transformed itself from an agricultural country into an industrial giant by means of quality education. He said trade, tourism and education could constitute the core elements of Saudi-Swedish relations which are set to take off after the Kingdom’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Also speaking at the conference, Patrick El-Cheikh, head of the Swedish Trade Council Riyadh, said the current economic environment in the Kingdom was conducive to the flow of overseas investment. “We are encouraging Swedish companies to invest here.” He admitted that both the level of Saudi exports to Sweden and Swedish investments in the Kingdom were low and should increase.
At the same time, a Swedish multinational company has welcomed the Saudi government’s initiative to provide employment opportunities for Saudi women and declared its willingness to hire them. “We are looking at the possibility of employing them as interior designers as well as in the fields of administration, customer relations and childcare,”Troy Geldart, store manager of Ikea told Arab News. He said there was a strong possibility of hiring Saudi women as interior designers in Ikea’s showroom. They could also deal with women customers or in supervising children in the play area on the Ikea premises. Asked about Ikea’s Saudi manpower, he said they were 56 percent of the work force. The level of retention is high due to the fact that the company offers a working environment conducive to productivity and professional growth. Together with a reasonably high salary structure and other incentives, Saudi manpower is staying with the company on a long-term basis, he added.