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."
The academy’s operating model will offer three streams:
The Core stream: A two-year foundation programme that offers high school graduates ICT technical and academic courses (i.e., business English, interpersonal skills, etc.)
The Bridge stream: An on-demand bridge programme that offers vocational and university graduates ICT advanced technical courses and professional certifications, as well as academic courses
The Distance Learning stream: A stream that offers students a web-based platform to access courses from anywhere.
A key component of the academy’s operating model is the use of online and virtual technologies to support distance learning, thereby expanding outreach to the furthest regions of the Kingdom and allowing students to become active participants in the learning process.
