Education & Training
From The Report: Saudi Arabia 2014
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Education is at the heart of an ambitious agenda to diversify Saudi Arabia away from reliance on hydrocarbons and transform it into a knowledge-based economy by 2025. With this in mind, the Kingdom has stepped up investment in the education sector and in the young people who will be expected to drive that new economy, but policymakers face the challenge of rapid population growth. However, considerable efforts are being made to ensure that training and education focuses on equipping young Saudis with the necessary skills to fill gaps in the job market. This chapter contains an interview with Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shoaibi, 
Director-General, Institute of Public Administration.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Transformation agenda: A significant budget should see facilities and standards improve
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For a young country accustomed to relying upon hydrocarbons exports for almost all of its income, education is at the heart of an ambitious agenda to mature and diversify into a knowledge-based economy by 2025. With this in mind, Saudi Arabia has stepped up investment in the education sector and in the young people who will be expected to drive that new society, but policymakers face challenges in the form of rapid population growth and an apparently ambivalent attitude to private sector opportunities…

Interview

OBG talks to Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shoaibi, Director-General, Institute of Public Administration (IPA)
OBG
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Interview:Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shoaibi How is the government ensuring a level playing field in the application and promotion processes within the public sector? AHMED BIN ABDULLAH AL SHOAIBI: In the transition to a paperless environment, the Ministry of the Civil Service has developed an e-recruitment system known as Jadara on its website, where people can apply for government jobs. The system allows applicants’ data to be scrutinised electronically and immediately, without the applicant…

Interview

OBG talks to Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shoaibi, Director-General, Institute of Public Administration (IPA)
OBG
plus

Interview:Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shoaibi How is the government ensuring a level playing field in the application and promotion processes within the public sector? AHMED BIN ABDULLAH AL SHOAIBI: In the transition to a paperless environment, the Ministry of the Civil Service has developed an e-recruitment system known as Jadara on its website, where people can apply for government jobs. The system allows applicants’ data to be scrutinised electronically and immediately, without the applicant…

Analysis

The right skills: Partnerships are key to training the next generation of employees
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Government agencies and private companies are working together to try to provide young Saudis with the skills that will allow them to work in the Kingdom’s nonoil private sector, which enjoyed growth of 5.5% in 2013, according to Jadwa Investment. In its current five-year plan the government has earmarked a total of SR23.14bn ($6.17bn) for training, an increase of 41.6% on the SR16.34bn ($4.4bn) allocated under the previous plan. There has also been an increased emphasis on working with the…

Analysis

Innovative solutions: A knowledge-based economy will require an updated school system
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With a transformation agenda backed by a budget of SR210bn ($56bn) in 2014, the education sector in Saudi Arabia holds significant investment potential for the private sector. The government is seeking partners that can help transform both the physical environment of facilities and improve educational standards across the Kingdom’s school system. With more than 7m pupils in schools or universities, Saudi Arabia is by far the biggest education market in the GCC. THE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA: The…