JEDDAH: GE announced that it is recruiting Saudi graduates for promising careers across its various businesses in the Kingdom at the three-day Saudi Arabian Cultural Ministry (SACM) Career Fair held at the Gaylord National Harbor, Washington DC that ends today (Sunday). Organized under the patronage of Dr Khalid Al-Angari, Minister of Higher Education; and Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the US, the career fair is held as part of the graduation ceremony of the fourth class of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. The largest Saudi career fair abroad, the SACM serves as a forum of interaction for King Abdullah Scholarship Program graduates from around the US with potential employers including the private sector. At the fair, GE is underscoring its commitment to Saudization with a focus on doubling its workforce in the Kingdom from over 800 now to 1,600 by 2013, and to educate, develop, train and hire Saudi talent. The graduates can apply for positions with GE's different businesses in the Kingdom at the SACM Career Fair. Walid Abukhaled, GE's President & CEO in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said "with over eight decades of active partnership in the Kingdom, GE is at the forefront of proactively training and nurturing Saudi professionals, and offering them rewarding career opportunities across our key businesses covering healthcare, aviation, energy, water and oil & gas. The SACM Career Fair serves as a perfect opportunity for GE to demonstrate the professional growth prospects that await the Saudi graduates on their return to the Kingdom, and how they can contribute to the Kingdom's social and economic prosperity." He added "we are focused on creating new jobs for young, skilled Saudis, as highlighted by the GE Energy Manufacturing Technology Center, which will create over 2,000 GE jobs and drives the growth of indirect jobs in ancillary industries. For Saudi graduates, a partnership with GE will serve as a perfect fit to broaden their experience by working with one of the world's leading companies, while also becoming part of the new economic growth dynamic for the Kingdom envisaged by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud." Business leaders and HR professionals of GE are attending the Fair to interact with the young graduates and explain to them the various leadership development programs and training courses offered by the company for its employees to ensure continued professional growth. The US has the largest number of Saudi students at over 30,000, and the SACM Career Fair is expected to be attended by over 1,500 young Saudi graduates. Further strengthening its commitment to provide training for Saudi engineers and other industry professionals, GE recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabia's Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) to expand the GE joint technical program (GE JTP). The expanded GE JTP aims to annually train up to 100 students, selected from leading technical colleges across the Kingdom. GE has also joined hands with King Abdullah University of Science & Technology's marking the first private sector alliance of the leading educational institution for collaboration in research & development. The company has also joined hands with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) to establish the GE Energy Fuel Research Center to promote alternative fuels, and for collaborative research.
