May 10, 2012

The Technical Trainers College (TTC), a Saudi government-owned institution for training of trainers in the Kingdom, announced the signing of the first TTC Company Field Practice Agreement with ThyssenKrupp Elevator Saudi Ltd. on Tuesday.

Michael Klees, TTC dean, and Abdulrahman Al-Mannaa, senior administration manager at ThyssenKrupp Elevator Saudi Ltd. (TKES), signed the deal at TTC.

Abdul Hamid El Ayoubi, TKES general manager, said: "We are proud to contribute to the training of vocational trainers...well-trained vocational teachers are the key to provide high-class technicians and professionals for the local economy."

TTC is Saudi Arabia's first institution to train vocational trainers specialized in technical subjects based on German experience in vocational teachers' education.

He said 18 high performing TTC trainees will undertake their Company Field Practice (CFP) internship program at TKES for the period of six weeks beginning June this year.

"The first contact between TTC and TKES was facilitated by the German Delegation of Industry and Commerce for Saudi Arabia and Yemen (AHK Saudi Arabia) with an aim to promote German-Saudi economic relations," El Ayoubi added.

Spelling out the features of the agreement, Michael Klees said: "The agreement with TKES, one of the key stakeholders in economic development of the Kingdom, underlines the significance of CFP as an essential component of TTC's educational concept."

The cooperation is beneficial for both partners TTC and TKES, he said. TTC aims at establishing a long-lasting and fruitful relationship, Klees added.

On behalf of AHK Saudi Arabia, Andreas Hergenrother said he was delighted to see that German economy could contribute to the Saudi demand for transfer of know-how and technology. Once again, the cooperation between ThyssenKrupp and the TTC shows Germany's keen interest to be a reliable partner for Saudi Arabia in different spheres, said Hergenrother.

GIZ's Country Director Roland Zielbauer also attended the signing ceremony. The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH manages the TTC on request of Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC).

The TVTC has launched a number of initiatives and programs to train local workforce in an effort to cut reliance on expatriates in the Kingdom in different sectors.

© Arab News 2012