A leading development model that prepares university graduates for the labor market
April 2017
Prince Sultan University’s director has signed a contract establishing a new center, the King Salman Center for Education and Employment.
Dr. Ahmed bin Saleh Al Yamani, the director of Prince Sultan University, signed the contract in a ceremony attended by His Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Prince Sultan University and Vice President of the Riyadh Foundation for Science; and Al Mashrik Contracting Company Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Abdulsalam Altowaijri; in the presence of Dr. Abdullah Al Zamil.
The King Salman Education for Employment Center, one of the fruits of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, offers eight important international training academies for Saudi graduates and graduates of universities and colleges with bachelor’s degrees.
The center was established in response to the needs of Saudi society to address specialty and knowledge gaps in the workforce. An array of skills and knowledge are necessary to meet the demands of today’s labor market, and some college and university graduates have difficulty attaining the skills required to find suitable job opportunities. To address these gaps, the center will offer educational programs and training. The effort to establish the center was headed by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University, under the direction of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The signing of the contract
The Center Academies support the initiatives of the National Transformation Program to achieve Vision 2030.
The Center and Vision 2030
The King Salman Center for Education for Employment supports the continuous development of hundreds of young Saudi graduates from various universities and colleges to build the capacity and capabilities necessary to achieve the ambitious goals of the vision 2030 of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and fulfill the objectives of the national transformation program.
Partnerships with major international companies
The center taps into a growing appetite for international professional programs that offer graduates the opportunity to build bright career futures. The center builds partnerships with a number of leading international companies, bringing them to the university. It also provides opportunities to recent Saudi graduates from other universities as well as supports the professional development of young Saudi female students and graduates, many of whom still have difficulty finding employment.
The focus of the center’s first phase, launched in 2006, was on some of the most advanced applications and programs required in the labor market, such as the CISCO network program and the Oracle database program. However, partnerships with a number of international companies have since evolved, including Juniper, a leader in network security; SAP, the industry leader in the software industry; Microsoft’s leading IT and software development industry; and Huawei Communications, Information Technology and Networks, the world’s second-largest telecommunications and information technology company.
Since its inception, the center has produced notable results: a group of young Saudi graduates from various universities in Saudi Arabia have obtained international professional certificates, achievements that have vaulted them from unemployment or poor job security into leadership positions with high salaries.
The signing of the contract
Cisco International Academy
The leader in networking
The CCNA certification program is designed for adapters and mentors. It awards two certificates in network security and digital audio technology. The final stage is the specialization stage, which involves earning the CCNP certification.
Oracle International Academy
Leading database
The program aims to qualify graduates in the field of finance, business management and accounting. It offers training on best-in-class financial applications used in prominent companies and institutions in every industry. In addition, it provides specialized training and support to equip graduates with the skills and practical experience required in professional roles in the financial and accounting sectors.
SAP Academy
The industry leader in software for business sectors
SAP is one of the world’s leading software companies in the field of software and business management. One of the largest software companies in the world, SAP focuses on six sectors—among them process industries, consumer industries, service industries, financial services, and public services. It offers integrated products for small, medium, and large businesses.
Juniper International Academy
The leader in network security
Juniper is a world leader in network security for clients or network service providers.
Microsoft Academy
A leader in IT and software development
The Microsoft Academy program consists of two tracks focusing on preparing trainees for jobs that require facility with Microsoft technology. The first is the IT professional track and the second offers a professional path in software development. Each of the academy’s two tracks includes detailed laboratory training courses on the latest Microsoft releases.
Huawei Communications Academy
Information technology and networks
Huawei is the world’s second-largest telecommunications and information technology company. The center is pleased to announce that the Huawei Academy of Communications, Information Technology and Networks has joined its other academies.
The Center also signed an agreement with Huawei University for Practical Fields – the educational wing of Huawei University of Information Technology, an extension of the previous agreement signed with Huawei’s Director in the Kingdom, to expand the scope of the first agreement, which was limited to the primary level in the field of information networks represented by HCDA and HCDP. The Huawei Academy of the King Salman Education for Employment Center will award the Advanced Level Certificate (HCIE).
Redhat Academy
Redhat, which has joined the Center, is the leading Linux provider of open source solutions for the enterprise market. It is the first open source software company to achieve revenues in excess of $2 billion.
The company develops Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), distributed through the subscription system, one of the most widely distributed Linux offerings in large organizations.
As well as developing Linux and other software solutions such as the JBoss application server, Redhat provides training programs and specialized certification in systems management running RHEL or other Red Hat solutions.
VMware Academy
This academy—the first of its kind in the region—qualifies its trainees to lead virtual data centers and raises the total number of academies to eight. VMware, Inc., which oversees the academy, is a major provider of cloud computing software and operating system simulation and is based in Palo Alto, California, USA.
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