Al Takroni … Technical Training Manager

Young Saudis want to associate with Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic (SPSP) because it stands for the development of youth in the kingdom.

This is how employees in all cadres at the institute perceive it as. For them, the place is synonymous with learning, growth and ambition.

At SPSP, the new young, motivated, proactive, knowledgeable and skilled Saudis serve as an excellent example for all its students showing them that success has no limits. This is in addition to applying new methods of working and knowledge of new technologies gained locally and abroad.

From among the young leadership talent at SPSP that OGN’s Abdulaziz Khattak traced growth trajectories of Hussam Yousif Al Takroni, Technical Training Manager at SPSP Kahfji premises ; Khalid Saad Al Abdulwahed, Technical Training Manager at SPSP Dammam premises; Maha Al Shehri, Accountant; Mutleg Alsubaie, Accountant; and Reem Al Khaldi, Media and Public Relations Representative at SPSP.

Employees like Al Takroni and Al Abdulwahed have long careers at the institute, spanning 10 years and are now Training Managers.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, Al Takroni says he was eager to join SPSP after graduation and gain practical experience to help train Saudi youth and qualify them for their upcoming jobs in addition to sharing his experiences with them as an ex-SPSP graduate.

His field of choice, mechanical engineering, has great importance in today’s Saudi economy and the booming energy sector.

Now a Technical Training Manager at SPSP Khafji premises, Al Takroni commends SPSP’s quality training and course structure, which he says has proven its practicality in the market and job placement for trainees and companies. "This is what has made SPSP a partner of choice for companies," he adds.

Al Abdulwahed, a Technical Training Manager at SPSP Dammam premises, on other hand was led to SPSP by his passion for math and physics. The electrical engineer opines SPSP has been successful in achieving its objective of developing the Saudi technical workforce to effectively engage them in the energy sector.

Al Abdulwahed … Technical Training Manager

For Alsubaie, SPSP’s appeal was in its "wonderful work environment and good investment focus in manpower development". He believes SPSP has a competitive edge when it comes to the quality of training. "I noticed outstanding investment in quality systems and human resources, and accreditation by well-known global bodies. This makes SPSP lead the vocational industry."

Men are not the only ones SPSP takes pride in. Its female workforce are as competitive as their male counterparts. The institute has always been open to women, employing them in its administrative departments since 2012.

Working for over four years there is Al Shehri, an accountant, a domain she was led to because of her inclination towards mathematics. Hailing from SPSP’s hometown, she finds the institute’s work environment wonderful and considers training as part of everyday work advantageous. In her view, SPSP’s course structure is well designed and covers the needs of graduates when they leave to work for one of the many companies in the energy and industry sectors.

Just as proud as the other members is Al Khaldi, a Media and Public Relations Representative for two years at SPSP. In her words: "As a communication specialist, it’s very important for me to work in a place that impacts people’s lives positively. It motivates me to work harder and produce valuable output, and SPSP does just that."

Al Khaldi is quite a social person. She enjoys interactive gatherings and connecting with others. Growing up, she had a passion for writing, blogging and event planning, gaining experience from managing her family’s private events. Since then she has grown to realise her passion for communication and media.

An achievement for SPSP, Al Khalid says, is it being the only training institute in Saudi Arabia to have numerous international accreditations all together under its belt. These organisations include the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), Process Awards Authority/Vocational Qualifications for Science, Engineering and Technology (PAA/VQ-SET), International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), City & Guilds, Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), National Safety Council (NSC), International Road Transport Union (IRU), the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9001:2015).

ONBOARDING PROCESS

Al Khaldi … Media & Public Relations Representative

Integration into SPSP is done through a well-structure and well-organised plan, as all five found out.

Al Shehri and Alsubaie say they were given full exposure to the SPSP environment, before starting work and that helped them better understand the business. They were both part of in-house accredited training programmes IFRS and FFAC, respectively. This year they will be joining the advanced certified CMA program.

Al Khaldi found the onboarding process very smooth and beneficial. She says her manager ensured she was connecting and bonding with her team members. That helped her adapt to the work environment faster and thus produce better results as a team member.

Keen for its workforce to meet the challenges of the modern workplace, SPSP makes efforts to develop their soft skills through in-house or third party sponsored courses and society initiatives. There are also extracurricular and intra-organizational activities where SPSP brings out the best of its workforce, such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and competitions. Employees are free to partake in these effective techniques of personality development according to their strengths and abilities.

For Al Takroni it was SPSP’s internal annual skills competition, which his team led. The project helped SPSP win locally and regionally and allowed it to participate in global competitions. Additionally, Al Takroni is also proud to achieve the ISO 9001:2015 quality award for SPSP.

For Al Abdulwahed and Al Shehri, happiness was in the establishment of SPSP’s CSR Taziz Program, which involves teaching English language to high school orphans to increase their chances of further development and studies.

Alsubaie … Accountant

An activity at SPSP for Al Shehri that helped her improve her analytical, time management and teamwork skills was the transfer of finance operations to the new ERP system. "It was a huge challenge, where we transferred every single transaction from the old manual system to the new ERP system in a short period of time. This has helped SPSP become an efficient organisation in its finance operations, resulting in customer satisfaction."

Alsubaie showed his best when he was part of the task to analyse SPSP’s billing process. "Personally, it improved my analysis, time management and communication skills." He says they are in the process of signing a contract with Esal to improve SPSP’s billing process. The electronic invoicing platform connects supplier and buyer, and will enhance SPSP collections, improve customer experience, and auto-reconciliation with the ERP system.

An important job that Al Khaldi undertook was SPSP’s new website. She has also written, edited, and produced all English SPSP newsletters since she joined SPSP. The communication specialist has crafted speeches and was Master of Ceremony of some of SPSP’s biggest events, including successfully managing SPSP’s 89th Saudi National Day Event.

ADVICE FOR YOUNG SAUDIS

All five have valuable advice for their countrymen and women. However, they all speak with one voice in telling newcomers to focus, work hard, and seize the great opportunity offered to them by SPSP and the country.

Al Shehri and Alsubaie tells them to learn by asking the more experienced colleagues and share ideas and opinions. Al Khaldi’s advice is to build teamwork and know people from every department at SPSP and understand how each department operates even if they aren’t necessarily working in them.

"I believe it is very important to understand the business as a whole," she says.

Al Shehri … Accountant

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has come as a boon mainly for the youth. The vision in many of its initiatives and goals depends on the Saudi youth, says Al Shehri. "The Kingdom believes in the Saudi youth as an asset and is providing many opportunities for young people to achieve their aspirations. Therefore, we should take advantage and devote our time to gain more knowledge," she says, exhorting her young countrymen and women.

Her colleague Al Khaldi says it would be disappointing if we didn’t take full advantage of it.

Al Takroni says every Saudi youth has a role to play in the country’s growth and they need to be ready when their time comes. He advises them to be adaptable and be prepared for the changes and challenges through Vision 2030.

SPSP might not be the end of the road for Al Takroni, Al Abdulwahed, Al Shehri, Alsubaie, and Al Khaldi. They all have one ambition in common and that is to serve their country to the best of their abilities. They all want to further improve their skills, with Al Khaldi dreaming of starting her PR firm one day.

Meanwhile, for SPSP, their dream is that it becomes a best-in-class global institute. They hope the institute will keep investing in people, add more programs to its course list, and further accommodate market needs.

Al Abdulwahed suggests the need to establish a platform for all SPSP graduates to share their success stories and knowledge. And Al Khaldi’s concern for female vocational training at SPSP were put to rest when the institute recently announced the launch of women vocational training. "I am very proud to witness and be a part of that change," she says.