Jubail Industrial College (JIC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Contractors Authority (SCA), with the goal of strengthening the cooperation between JIC and SCA in various joint projects – in academic, scientific, research, training, and other fields of common interest. The MOU also aims to promote exchange visits in these fields and to help arrange field training opportunities for students of Jubail Industrial College. As attested in the agreement, SCA will coordinate with relevant companies on an annual basis to deliver training opportunities for JIC students, according to the availability of specializations commensurate with the needs of the contracting sector, and to ensure that these training opportunities are suitable for the trainees, related to their fields of study, and will equip them the necessary expertise in their specialization. Further, JIC students, upon placement for training, will complete a total training period of 15 weeks at one of the training facilities specified by the Authority; the training will commence after the end of every semester on a date both agreed by JIC and the training provider.
The agreement also included the accreditation of the professional training programs and certifications offered by the JIC Fire and Safety Training Center, including a collaboration on finding a mechanism for the accreditation of the certificates granted by the College for other specialized training programs and courses.
As stated by Dr. Eid M. Al-Hajri, JIC Managing Director, "This cooperation is a fundamental pillar for building cooperation in various fields of scientific training and applied research; it is a noble opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge and to develop future programs between the two institutions. The cooperation and joint projects between JIC, SCA, and companies from different sectors, including the construction and contracting sector, will greatly contribute to the achievement of the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and will very much increase the opportunities for scientific exchange, thus, the development and advancement of educational services in the kingdom." In addition to improving the quality of its scientific outputs, Dr. Al-Hajri also stressed the keenness of Jubail Industrial College to produce numerous graduates and innovators in various fields, adding that the College seeks, through this cooperation, to establish a solid collaboration with contracting parties to provide appropriate programs.
It is worth mentioning that this agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Future Projects Forum under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Governor of Riyadh Region. During the Forum, His Royal Highness presented the projects of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia worth 450 billion Saudi Riyals.
