Last week, Education Minister, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, inaugurated the first two digital colleges for women in Saudi Arabia, in the capital Riyadh and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Each facility has been designed to provide some 4,000 students with specialized training programs. The launch ceremony was led by Dr. Al-Sheikh, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC).
The new colleges, seen as part of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 efforts to provide women with more opportunities across sectors, will offer programs that include (but that are not limited to): network systems management, media technology, software, IoT (Internet of Things), smart cities, robotics technology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
Two new digital colleges for women have been launched in Riyadh and Jeddah. The Saudi education facilities will provide expert training for 4,000 women in software, the Internet of things, smart cities, robotics, AI, machine learning, and more. pic.twitter.com/iGdjuFGZ9b
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) September 17, 2020
According to a report by SPA, Dr. Al-Sheikh explained that King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have been “keen to make women a cornerstone of this developmental movement, by means of empowerment and the highest levels of support. This has been done through developing women's capabilities, investing in their talents and energies, and creating opportunities for them to obtain suitable jobs.”
Over the years, the TVTC has been working to ensure that its work is in line with the Kingdom’s overall vision. In 2018, for instance, it sent 130 Saudi women abroad as part of its external scholarships program. Indeed, since its inception in 1980, the institution has been providing vocational and technical training for both Saudi Arabian women and men based on international occupational standards, in order to meet the need of the country’s labor market.
