Education & Training
From The Report: Saudi Arabia 2016
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Saudi Arabia is a youthful country, a third of its population being under the age of 15, and in recent years the country’s leaders have invested billions of dollars to educate these young people to lead the planned transformation of the country from an oil-rich state to a diversified, knowledge-based economy. School enrolment numbers and university graduation statistics have improved, though the ultimate goal of realigning the Saudi workforce has proved more elusive. The focus of many of the recent efforts in the education and training sector are on providing young people with the soft skills and vocational qualifications that are required by the private sector job market.

This chapter contains interviews with Ahmed Aleissa, Minister of Education; Ahmed Alfahaid, Governor, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation; and Khaleel Alibrahim, Rector, University of Hail.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Time to change: The focus is beginning to shift towards expanding the role of the private sector in developing education
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Saudi Arabia is a youthful country, with a third of its population under the age of 15, and in recent years the country’s leaders have invested billions of dollars to educate these young people to lead the planned transformation of the country from an oil-rich state to a diversified, knowledge-based economy. School enrolment numbers and university graduation statistics have improved, but the ultimate goal of realigning the Saudi workforce has proved more elusive. The focus of many of the recent…

Interview

Investing in knowledge: Subheading OBG talks to Ahmed Aleissa, Minister of Education
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Interview:Ahmed Aleissa Body copy Given new budget constraints, how is the Ministry of Education (MoE) looking to use its resourcesmore efficiently and effectively? AHMED ALEISSA: The MoE has been working on using its available resources efficiently and effectively in alignment with the recent Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme. We are also working on investing in education by building partnerships with the private sector to improve the efficiency and the quality of education.…

Analysis

In with the new: The sector looks to diversify to achieve its development goals, as fiscal pressures lead to a reduction in government spending
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For the first time in recent years the budget for education fell year-on-year in 2016, leaving ministers and officials with some stark choices about how best to spend their allocation. On December 28, 2015, the day the government’s spending plans were announced, crude oil was trading at $37 a barrel, having fallen from the most recent peak of $115 in June 2014 and, as a result, Saudi government revenues had tumbled. Oil revenues were expected to reach SR444.5bn ($118.5bn) in 2015, representing…

Interview

Training for growth: OBG talks to Ahmed Alfahaid, Governor, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC)
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Interview:Ahmed Alfahaid How is TVTC working with other stakeholders to develop a unified vision for the training segment? AHMED ALFAHAID: This is a very important question for the future of the Saudi technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system and the economy as a whole. It is critical to align with Saudi Vision 2030, which was recently launched by the government. Clarifying the mandates of all actors has been a focus for both TVTC and its key stakeholders, but further…

Interview

Research proposal: OBG talks to Khaleel Alibrahim, Rector, University of Hail
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Interview:Khaleel Alibrahim With innovation central to the Kingdom’s growth strategy, what advances are being made in research and development (R&D)? KHALEEL ALIBRAHIM: R&D programmes are still a work in progress in Saudi Arabia. Universities want to do more but still suffer from the lack of involvement of the private sector. We need to show that we can be competent and reliable partners in this field so that private companies can safely invest with us and finance important programmes.…

Analysis

Teaming up: Higher education looks to collaborate with industry in research and innovation
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Saudi Arabia’s higher education sector has grown dramatically in recent years, both in the number of students and in the number of tertiary institutions in the Kingdom. In 2009 there were just 20 universities, but by 2015 this had increased to 35 and, over the same period, the numbers of new students enrolling had increased by almost 40%, from 272,854 to 379,179, according to data from the General Authority for Statistics. When the 207,000 students who were studying abroad on scholarships are included,…

Analysis

Skills gap: Training young people with the skills to meet the needs of today’s labour market
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Bridging the gap between university and employment, and translating potential into a skill set that is in demand is a challenge faced by graduates all over the world. The OECD reports that 20% of people aged 20-24 are not employed, in school or in training. In Saudi Arabia 36.6% of this age group was unemployed in 2014, according to the “Saudi Economic Report 2014” by the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP). Unemployed Graduates According to data from the General Authority for Statistics…