The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the National Power Academy was signed by the founding stakeholders at the Saudi Arabia Smart Grid conference in Jeddah. The founding stakeholders include Saudi Aramco, Saudi Electricity Company, Saline Water Conversion Corporation, Siemens, General Electric, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals & Technical and Vocational Training Corporation. The National Power Academy will be a world class, state of the art, public-private training institute offering specialized vocational training programs focused on strategic power sector trades within various disciplines including electrical, mechanical, operations, renewable, nuclear and manufacturing disciplines. The National Power Academy will offer three unique, internationally accredited training streams: The Core stream will be for high school students and will offer diplomas in various power sector trades; The Professional stream, will offer diplomas for experienced professionals who are seeking to enhance their skill sets in more specialized power sector trades; and the Short certification courses will cover a wide range of technical and management topics for all professionals working in the power industry. Some key features of the Academy include: New training programs for emerging trades such as Smart Grid, Energy Efficiency and Renewables; World-class labs and real-life training facilities; Innovative teaching methodologies and Applied Research and Development. The Academy will bring many benefits to the Kingdom including fulfilling the expanding workforce needs for the energy sector, reducing unemployment, contributing to Kingdom's economic growth, catalyzing the development of a flourishing knowledge based economy and promoting the transition to an energy-efficient national economy.
