THE Saudi Telecommunications Company, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Ericsson launched the Center of Excellence in January 2016 to educate and prepare Saudi new graduates for careers in telecommunications. Students will reap the benefits of Ericsson's leading technologies and learning evolution until the culmination of the program in June 2016. Ericsson's Center of Excellence offers students who are passionate about innovation within information and communications technologies (ICT) the training and tools to develop a deep, specialized knowledge in their area of interest and support them in the senior project. It will evaluate test and transfer knowledge of emerging telecommunications technologies to students. The organizations aligned strategically to identify key job roles, as well as bridging theoretical and practical gap, thus preparing student for relevant careers in the KSA market. KFUPM students will benefit from Ericsson's Research and Development (R&D) graduate program and new technology trends; selected Saudi students will partake in R&D mentorship. In addition, Ericsson will create professional training programs in LTE radio, core Network evolution, microwave transmission, operation support system (OSS) and business support systems (BSS), and smart metering solutions including the use of test labs, dummy nodes, end-to-end setup for features and product tests and learning evolution. This will empower KSA graduates with a cutting edge information and communications technology education that will prepare them for a career in the industry. Moreover, they will derive immense benefits by being involved in R&D processes and participating in new technology trends. Dr. Khaled Hussain Biyari, STC Group CEO, said: "This strategic partnership enables us to prepare our graduates for careers in telecommunications. Collaborating with KFUPM and Ericsson enables us to make a positive contribution to the development of the youth in our great nation from a grassroots level." Dr. Sahel N. Abduljauwad, Vice Rector for Research, KFUPM, said: "As a forward thinking knowledge institution, we are thrilled to be a part of such an outstanding initiative that will further boost our students' competence levels. Together with STC and Ericsson we are offering our students a competitive advantage when they enter the workplace." Ali Eid, Head of Ericsson, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said: "Ericsson supports STC and KFUPM in their efforts to contribute to a knowledge economy in KSA. Our combined knowledge and understanding of education and the information and communications technology industry will propel education in telecommunications to new dimensions.
