The King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program for Technical Trainers kicked off in Riyadh Monday which will see more than 2,000 students sent abroad for three-year training courses. Receiving a delegation representing Irish Technical Institutes, Dr. Ali Al-Ghufais, Governor of the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training (GOTVT) said that selected students will be sent in batches to Ireland, Britain and Canada. He said graduates will be accommodated in the GOTVT after successfully completing their prescribed training courses. The trainers who complete two-year training courses will receive monthly salaries of more than SR12,000. He said the courses focus on the practical side of work. He also stressed the importance of creating job opportunities for graduates of the technical colleges affiliated to the GOTVT. He said these graduates receive extensive theoretical and technical training courses for four years in different technical skills. He called on the private sector to employ these graduates because 85 percent of expatriate workers who work at large industrial plants in the Kingdom are untrained workers. He said those who accuse the GOTVT of having poor training courses should visit the GOTVT's training facilities and its website to get an idea of its curricula and training programs. These have been designed according to the latest international standards. The King's Program targets graduates of higher technical institutes and colleges for men and women, in addition to graduates of the Jubail and Yanbu Industrial Colleges who get university level degrees. The King's Program covers the US, Britain, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Holland, Finland, Norway, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and India.
