RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – CEER, Saudi Arabia’s first automotive company and Saudi-born EV brand, today celebrated the graduation of its Saudi engineers from the WAA’ID Program under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program. The event took place at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and was attended by the His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, H.E. Yousef Al-Benyan, Minister of Education, alongside government officials and companies participating in the program.

The ceremony celebrated all 69 graduates where the majority of the cohort consisted of 40 graduates representing CEER. It highlighted the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources pivotal role in fostering a flourishing environment for automotive innovation. CEER was also honored for its role as a national partner in delivering high-impact programs that equip Saudi talent with the skills needed in emerging industrial and technological fields, empowering them to shape the future of the Kingdom's industrial sector.

The ceremony also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between CEER and JVIS to strengthen efforts in attracting and empowering Saudi talent. The agreement builds on the existing collaboration between the two organizations, supporting the growth of the Kingdom's automotive industry and advancing local content development.

Jim DeLuca, CEO of CEER, commenting on the milestone said: “CEER is truly excited to celebrate the achievements of our WAA’ID graduates. These bright engineers represent the future workforce that will lead Saudi Arabia’s automotive sector for decades to come. Having now moved directly into their permanent, full-time roles with our team, they are already actively in the driver’s seat to helping us build the Kingdom’s very first homegrown EV brand. We extend our deepest gratitude to our ministerial partners for their unwavering support in making this career-launching program a reality.”

CEER’s WAA’ID Program is a specialized initiative that bridges the gap between educational outcomes and the evolving needs of the labor market, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Education is an immersive educational opportunity designed to equip Saudi talent with the skills, knowledge, and capabilities required to drive industrial transformation and contribute to the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030. As part of the program, last year CEER has employed 40 Saudi graduates and offered them six months academic experience at Kettering University in Michigan, USA and six months of on-the-job training with world leading tier one automotive suppliers.

The successful graduation of CEER's first cohort from the WAA'ID Program marks a definitive milestone in their professional journeys, as they have now fully commenced their full-time engineering and technical roles within the company. The initiative represents a key step in CEER's commitment to building a fully integrated national automotive industry in the Kingdom, placing highly trained Saudi talent at the very forefront of the sector's future.