State-run Saudi Aramco, a global petroleum and chemicals enterprise, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with strategic partners to establish the National Information Technology Academy.
The MoU was signed by representatives from Saudi Aramco, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), with representatives from major information and communications technology (ICT) companies such as Oracle, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Huawei, Wipro, SAP, Cisco, and Mobily in attendance.
The academy’s strategic objectives are aligned with those of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 — developing the IT sector and a digital economy, increasing local workforce skills, equipping citizens with competencies that will meet the future needs of the labour market, and increasing female participation in the workforce.
The academy will invest in Saudi human capital by equipping young Saudis with market relevant ICT skills, bridging the skills gap, and developing a “job-ready” talent pool. Its curriculum will focus on technical and professional skills, as well as address emerging technologies that are aligned with market needs where students are “trained to hire.”
Establishing strategic partnerships with stakeholders and major sector companies, Saudi Aramco has established 11 specialised academies across various disciplines that include drilling, construction, inspection, and industrial training.
These academies have more than 8,000 Saudi students who are all sponsored by companies — Saudi Aramco contractors, vendors, and suppliers — which is the model that the National IT Academy will apply.
Yousef A Al Ulyan, IT executive director at Saudi Aramco, said the establishment of the academy will require active participation and commitment from key players in the ICT sector.
“Today, we have among us leaders in the ICT market who come with a strong corporate social responsibility. Through strategic partnerships and collective efforts, we will effectively enable the academy to meet its objectives and bridge gaps where approximately 35% of the ICT labour market is missed — primarily for not having the right skill mix in the ICT workforce,” Al Ulyan said.
