JEDDAH, 3 February 2008 — Twenty young Saudis, who successfully underwent training in mobile phone technology, were honored with certificates at a graduation ceremony hosted by Axiom Academy at the Jeddah Hilton yesterday.
Kousai Filal, general manager at the local Labor Office, who was the chief guest, congratulated the graduates and hoped that they would be a source of inspiration for other young Saudis. “I wish other companies follow suit and take part in contributing to the Saudization process,” he said.
Dr. Rashed M. Al-Zahrani, local director of the Technical Education and Vocational Training, said that Saudi students were increasingly showing interest in learning technology in general and mobile devices in particular. Such training programs would go a long way in encouraging Saudis to find training and “I am thrilled as I found employment and underwent on-job training successfully,” remarked one of the trainees.
The academy is part of Axiom Telecom, a major company in mobile and wireless communication in the Kingdom. “This is our first batch of graduates and we will run similar month long training programs with 24 trainees in Riyadh next month and with 25 others in the Eastern Province in April,” Axiom Telecom Training Manager Awadh S. Bin Slim told Arab News.
Najib Al-Zarouni, vice president of Axiom Telecom Middle East, said: “Axiom’s aim behind establishing the academy is to encourage young Saudis to work in diverse fields of activities in general and telecommunication and mobile technology in particular. The first batch of graduates has demonstrated their desire to learn and train in such programs.”
