Engineers’ bid to help Saudization

Saudi skilled workers as also the expats from Pakistan will greatly benefit from the opening of a Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)’s chapter in Jeddah, said Syed Abdul Qadir Shah, the PEC chairman.
He expressed his commitment to open the chapter within a month after it gets approval from the federal government in Islamabad.
The council is Pakistan’s elite representative engineering community, which assists the government at the center as also those in the four provinces.
Shah was speaking at a function organized in his honor by the Engineers Welfare Forum (EWF) based in the Kingdom, and which was attended by several technocrats and Saudi officials including Syed Talal Samarkandi, the head of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industries Engineers.
Shah focused on mutual share of expertise between the engineers of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and praised the EWF initiative to establish a proposed Vocational Training Institute in Jeddah, which he said would considerably help the workers here, both Pakistanis and Saudis, in sharing technical knowledge.
Stressing the huge Pakistani talents in technology, the PEC chairman said Pakistan has held in the past job fairs to showcase its pool of engineering talents. He said the Kingdom could come forward to facilitate a similar job fair in Pakistan to locate and hire the best of engineers.
Talal Samarkandi welcomed the PEC chairman and stressed the need for the two countries to better coordinate in the field of engineering which he said is a key driving force in any country for achieving rapid and sustainable growth in all its fields.
In this regard, Samarkandi hailed the training institute idea, which he said is in final stage of formalization.
“The Saudi Engineering Council (SEC) will welcome the opening of a PEC chapter in the Kingdom,” he said.
The institute would help strengthen the Saudization as the training will be imparted mainly to technical skilled labors both Saudis and Pakistani expatriates.
Dr. Aleem Khan, the EWF president, led the audience in condoling King’s death.
“He was a great emperor and was benevolent for both Saudis as well as for Muslims in general. Welcomed King Salman, Khan said the new king “is both highly experienced and a visionary leader.”
Talking about the important role that EWF played in the Kingdom, Khan said the pioneering engineering body is engaged in upgrading technical knowledge and their status in the community. It is honing the technical skills by way of organizing holding regular workshops, symposiums, interactions and publications etc.
On the Saudi-Pakistan vocational training institute, he said we have met all the formalities and the ball is now in JCCI court.
Calling the initiative a historical step in the region, he said it will serve Saudi and Pakistan expats, mainly the engineering community, for different technical courses.
He expressed the desire for the opening of a PEC chapter in Saudi Arabia, which he said will enhance and support our endeavors in the technical field.
“We can work as bridge between SEC and PEC to serve the nation and the engineering community,” Dr. Khan said.
Earlier, a minute’s silence was observed in respect for the departed soul of King Abdullah and those who died in the recent Peshawar carnage.
Masroor Elahi Khan, the EWF secretary general, conducted the program and introduced the chief guest Shah to the audience.
Prominent among those attended the function were Syed Mahmood Akhter, EWF member, Syed Ehsanul Haque, Pakistan Repatriation Council convener, Syed Ghazanfar Hassan, a senior engineer, Qari Asif and Asif Butt.