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Education, Training, Courses
News Release from: The TTE Technical Training Group
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 20 March 2006
Training services for Saudi Arabia
TTE Technical Training Group was part of a groundbreaking three-day delegation to Saudi Arabia to lay the groundwork for vocational training partnerships between Britain and the Kingdom
Keith Hunter, MD of the TTE Technical Training Group, was part of a groundbreaking three-day delegation to Saudi Arabia to lay the groundwork for vocational training partnerships between Britain and the Kingdom Headed by Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, the delegation met with the members of the Royal Family and key government officials including Dr Abdullah Al-Obaid, Minister of Education
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 23 Dec 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The visit was organised to re-iterate the Prime Minister's commitment to King Abdullah to strengthen and expand education and training links between Saudi and the UK.
Mr Hunter represented employer-led technical training providers in the delegation to promote the best of UK training to the Saudi ministers and lay the foundations for contract opportunities in the field of vocational education.
The TTE Technical Training Group has experience in providing industry with safe and motivated technicians with relevant skills and competencies, which perfectly placed Keith Hunter as part of the delegation.
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The delegation experienced first hand the current skills issues affecting Saudi Arabia - specifically the lack of a skilled indigenous workforce for the private sector - to consider how the Department for Education and Skills and UK training and education providers can provide the best possible support.
The Saudi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs official unemployment rate is 10 per cent; however other estimates put it at up to 30 per cent.
The Kingdom faces key demographic issues with children under the age of 17 making up 44 per cent of the current population.
This figure compares to 20 per cent in the UK.
Creation of employment for this section of the population as they enter the workforce presents a major challenge.
Around 300,000 school and college leavers enter the jobs market each year and official figures for November 2004 registered 155,000 Saudi male job seekers.
Most of these were young and poorly qualified.
The Kingdom's government is focussed on increasing the skills mix among the Saudi population, which will also help reduce its dependence of foreign workers, which account for 89 per cent of jobs in the private sector.
Keith Hunter, Managing Director of The TTE Technical Training Group, said: "This was a fascinating visit, which presented the opportunity to strike a collaborative relationship with Saudi Arabia to increase the involvement of UK training providers in the Kingdom's skills development programme.
"The Saudi government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the Kingdom's dependence on foreign workers and increase employment opportunities for a swelling population.
This will be possible through the budget surpluses created by high oil revenues, which can be directed into training and education.
"With our expertise in the private industrial sector I saw real prospects for UK businesses to fill the vacuum created after the historically close relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US suffered in the aftermath of 9/11.
Even during such a short visit I saw a strong future for UK-based training providers who can meet the Saudi challenges.".
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