King Salman Energy Park (SPARK), the region’s only fully integrated energy hub, in cooperation with International Maritime Industries (IMI), the region’s largest maritime facility, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University (PMU) for collaboration in the training and development of young Saudi university students. The MoU between the three entities signifies their commitment to creating dedicated educational programs, training and development opportunities, and engaging in research and development that will cultivate the skills and talent of young Saudi professionals as they prepare to enter the workforce.
SPARK President and CEO Saif Al Qahtani commented: “The signing of this agreement with IMI and PMU highlights SPARK’s strong commitment to social responsibility and the development of our nation’s workforce. As we reach important milestones in our initial stages of development, we must continuously consider how we can be doing more to help young graduates find their passion and become productive members of our growing workforce. In our commitment to building a more sustainable future for the industry and the Kingdom, this collaboration with IMI and PMU marks the beginning of many opportunities for other institutions and companies to work with us to encourage knowledge transfer and career development.”
Fathi K. Al-Saleem, Chief Executive Officer at IMI, said: “We are delighted to sign this ground-breaking agreement with SPARK and PMU, enabling us to leverage the academic excellence available at PMU to further our commitment towards supporting the career development of Saudi youth and the Kingdom’s future workforce. Working with local educational institutes and technical and vocational training programs is a key factor in our localization strategy, to improve access to employment opportunities and innovative career paths. This agreement will support the development of our employees and their dependents by providing educational opportunities to them, while contributing to IMI’s corporate development and social responsibility to the Kingdom. The naval architecture and maritime engineering sector that IMI is creating will provide career openings in a brand-new industry in the Kingdom. The Saudi maritime industry is developing rapidly and we are proud to be a key catalyst in its growth, with our partners SPARK and PMU.”
In addition to the MoU, PMU will invest at SPARK to develop a state-of-the-art training and education center over an area of 35,000 sqm. Operating as a satellite campus, the training and education center will have the capacity to host 500 students and will offer both graduate and undergraduate training opportunities ranging from preparatory orientation to highly specialized programs. The academic facility will be constructed in three phases, the first of which is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2023. Serving as a gateway upon which the world’s energy sector can build an integrated future, SPARK supports the creation of training and development initiatives that pave the way forward for career development, especially for young local talent. As a catalyst for growth, SPARK is committed to facilitating cooperation between national institutions and international investors to knowledge transfer opportunities for young graduates.
Dr. Issa Bin Hassan Al Ansari, President of Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University, said: “This partnership with SPARK will contribute to the realization of the Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.” Al Ansari also confirmed the establishment of a satellite campus for the University to be built at SPARK, with the aim of providing distinguished educational and academic services that are tailored based on SPARK’s needs, in addition to providing training services in the fields of scientific research in energy and more. The University has also signed another agreement with IMI to collaborate on the design and provision of dedicated training programs tailored to IMI employee needs, Al Ansari added.
