Guests at the ceremony included Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) Gov. Ali Al-Ghafis, Japanese Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Tadahiro Matsushita, Japanese Ambassador Shigeru Endo and Tadatsuna Koda, director of Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East (JCCME).

In his welcome address, SEHAI Executive Director Fahad Al-Harbi thanked the Deraiyah governor for the support extended to the institute.

He also registered his thanks to the TVTC, which provided buildings and basic equipment for laboratories and offices and to the Human Resources Development Fund for funding the operational costs of the project.

“The Saudi Electronics and Home Appliances Institute is an obvious indication of the strong private cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Japan,” Al-Ghafis said, adding that the TVTC is currently moving forward to achieve an ambitious plan through strategic partnerships with the industrial and service sectors.

“We have realized that such cooperation is vital in providing training to meet the demand in the labor market.”

Referring to the 67 young graduates who passed out from the institute, Al-Ghafis said this would greatly contribute to the Saudization program.

Congratulating the graduates, Matsushita said that the initiative was a clear indication of excellent Saudi-Japanese cooperation.

“Based on an agreement with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the two countries have been successfully following a path of industrial cooperation since 2007,” he said.

Launched in 2009, SEHAI is a symbol of human resources development in the Kingdom.

Koda said SEHAI was started on the strong initiative of Saudi businessmen who attached great importance to technological training for young Saudi people.

He indicated that through strong support and unstinted cooperation from the Japanese government, the top 10 Japanese electronic manufacturers, Nippon Engineering College and the JCCME have been managing this project to empower young people in the Kingdom.

SEHAI, a nonprofit organization, is the result of a strategic partnership between a group of national companies and the TVTC to cater to the needs of the electronics, computers, office equipment, home appliances, air conditioners and cooling systems industries all over the country.

SEHAI provides intensive training for Saudi youths for a period of two years to work for electronics and home appliances companies as industrial and maintenance technicians.

The capacity of the institute initially is 100 students, which will be increased gradually to a maximum of 500 students. The institute will award its students a high diploma in their respective disciplines.

The SEHAI complex was built on a 70,000 square meter area at Riyadh’s Deraiya governorate. It includes four PC laboratories, four specialized laboratories, and six huge workshops equipped with state-of-the-art teaching equipment in addition to training rooms, administrative buildings, a mosque, events room, dining halls, car parking. A gymnasium and dormitory will be included in the future.