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Siemens and Saudi Electricity Company to cooperate on the training of experts for Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Dec 5th, 2011
In February of this year, Siemens announced its intention to invest several hundred million dollars in the construction of a gas turbine manufacturing and service center in Saudi Arabia. With this new center Siemens will create jobs for local and international experts in Saudi Arabia. With a particular focus also on the advancement of young people, Siemens will offer top-grade training programs. To this end, Siemens and Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has entered into a cooperation agreement on the advancement of young talents. In a first step, eight engineers will commence their training in Germany as part of an expert development program (EDP), with the aim of expanding their know-how in the fields of energy and grid technology.
Figure 1 Mr. Ali Al-Barak, President and CEO of SEC and Mr. Roland Fischer, Head of Power Generation in a contract signing ceremony marking the agreement to train Saudi Experts.
Training is scheduled to begin in November 2011, and will run for 52 weeks. The Saudi engineers will be instructed on the proven Siemens dual training concept, which combines theory and practice. The theoretical instruction will be held at the prestigious Siemens Technik Akademie in Berlin and Nuremberg, while practical training will take place at locations including the Siemens state-of-the-art gas turbine manufacturing plant in Berlin and its transformer production facility in Nuremberg.
“Saudi Arabia and the region are undergoing highly dynamic growth and have a major demand for sustainable energy supply. That calls for technological know-how and creates opportunities for ambitious, well-trained people,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer CEO of the Energy Sector Cluster Middle East. Arja Talakar, CEO of Siemens in Saudi Arabia commented, “I’m delighted that we’ve concluded this cooperation agreement with SEC. Over the course of a year we’ll be training these young people in the latest technologies at Siemens. This cooperation is a further milestone in our long-term relations with SEC and our commitment to the development of local Saudi talents.”
In a statement by Ali Al-Barrak, President and CEO SEC, he said, “Training of the first eight engineers in Germany will be the first step in this direction.”