Saudisation quotas in private companies are growing, driven by vocational training of KSA nationals

Edexcel and Al Khaleej Training & Education in strategic tie-up to enhance skills in KSA job market

Al Riyadh, KSA, 18^th June, 2011: Edexcel, the leading provider of internationally recognized academic and professional qualifications, has revealed that Saudisation in private companies in KSA is growing, driven by the increasing importance given to vocational training as an effective alternative to classical education. 

This was announced during the signing of an agreement in which Edexcel has approved Al Khaleej Training and Education to offer the BTEC Higher National Diploma that allows holders to transfer credits to university degrees in various universities around the world.

Mark Andrews, Edexcel's MENA Regional Director, said: "This agreement works at creating job opportunities for the new generation in KSA. It will go a long way toward enhancing Saudisation of jobs in the KSA market."

He added: "The government in the Kingdom is playing its role in integrating nationals into the private sector, but more needs to be done by companies to encourage nationals to seek employment in private companies."

Andrews added that vocational education has a fimdamental role to play in integrating Saudi nationals in the private sector. "The key is to provide the right education to nurture their skills, and make efforts to strike a balance between their salary expectations and private companies' priority on optimum productivity."

The new initiative by Edexcel and Al Khaleej aims at bridging the gap between the knowledge obtained through formal education and actual skills required in the KSA job market.

Local KSA employees have traditionally given preference to the public sector. They also display strong preferences for certain jobs and avoid some others, thus creating an imbalance in their availability for certain job segments. Further, talented nationals are in high demand and difficult to retain, creating a retention challenge.

Engineer Al Waleed Al Draiaan, CEO of Al Khaleej Training and Education added that this strategic agreement between Edexcel and Al Khaleej aims at filling the vacancies in emerging specializations that are mostly catered to through vocational training, notably BTEC programmes.

Al Draiaan added: "There is a huge disconnect between what universities and institutes offer and the real needs of the market. This vacuum is often filled by expatriates and it brings to the fore the need for integrating KSA nationals into a multinational workforce."

Al Draiaan further stressed that KSA needs to have self sufficiency in vocational skills through enhanced vocational trainings. "There is an urgent need to sharpen the skills of the KSA workforce by exposing them to global best practices and equipping them with tools essential to the job market in KSA."

Edexcel's exclusive BTEC qualifications provide a practical, real-world approach to learning alongside a theoretical background. They are designed both to replicate the professional working environment and provide learners with the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to succeed in the current job market. Various opportunities for higher education are available for BTEC HND holders in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia.

Eng. Derar Ali Shhabat, General Manager, Total Quality, Al Khaleej Training & Education, said that his company was following world class standards, which is critical for competing with leaders from the education and training sectors. Edexcel is adopting the theoretical methods to the requirements of the local business market rather than merely importing the information as it is.

Edexcel is the UK's largest qualifications provider specialising in curriculum development, quality assurance and certification of learner achievement. As part of Pearson, the world's leading provider of educational solutions, Edexcel possesses unrivalled access to content, e-learning and testing - all of which position it at the cutting edge of effective education for employment.

Edexcel collaborates with thousands of partners, such as schools, colleges, employers and governments, in over 85 countries and is UK government regulated, ISO certified and a recognised Investors in People organisation. Each year, more than 4 million learners enrol on an Edexcel qualification.

In addition to university recognition, 85 professional organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants grant exemption for their own professional qualifications for holders of the relevant BTEC qualifications.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2011