RIYADH, 13 May 2007 — British Ambassador William Patey, who yesterday visited the technical college of the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT), said that his country would lend its fullest support to the Kingdom’s Saudization program for young Saudi men and women.
In a move last year to increase cooperation in the education sector, Saudi Arabia and Britain entered into a strategic partnership to develop the Kingdom’s English language curriculum.
On behalf of the United Kingdom, the British Embassy, in association with the British Council, initiated a partnership with GOTEVOT.
“The British Embassy offers strong support for the Kingdom’s efforts in developing vocational education and training,” Patey said, adding that helping young Saudis learn English is an important contribution to preparing them for the modern workplace.
On arrival at the college, the British ambassador was received by GOTEVOT Vice President Dr. Saleh Al-Amr, who took him on a tour of the college’s facilities. British support for the project includes provision of four full-time advisers working with both GOTEVOT and the Ministry of Education to help Saudi partners deliver new methods of teacher training and a more modern curriculum.
“We are particularly pleased that we are working with both the men’s and women’s departments of GOTEVOT and the ministry,” Patey said. He added that the British Council was working with Saudi partners on a wide agenda, including school leadership, institutional partnerships at the school and college levels, e-learning and certification and accreditation.
The envoy said the number of Saudi students in the United Kingdom was set to double from 3,000 to 6,000 over the coming year. “The speed and efficiency of the UK visa service has played an important role in encouraging Saudi youngsters to choose Britain for their higher studies,” he stressed.
GOTEVOT estimates that more than 75,000 students will be in its colleges by 2010; it is concerned about training and development of local manpower with special emphasis on English.
