JEDDAH — A 28-member British delegation representing 20 education and corporate training providers was in the Kingdom for a two-day visit to assess opportunities for the development of new partnership between British and Saudi educational institutions. Led by the head of Training Gateway Amanda Selvaratnam and Trade Adviser of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) Simon Bedford, the delegation had the opportunity to attend a networking reception at the British Consulate and meet representatives of various Saudi public institutions and private companies including Dar Al-Hekma College, the National Commercial Bank (NCB), Saudi Arabian Mining Company Maaden, Abdul Latif Jameel Group and Saudi Binladin Group. British Consul General Mohammed Shokat said: “Saudi Arabia has a long history of partnership with the UK, evidenced by the large number of students coming to the UK each year. There are about 18,000 Saudi students in England at the moment and last year we issued over 100,000 visas, 50 percent of which were given to students.” He added: “Education and vocational training represent high and strategic priorities for Saudi Arabia, a country focused on ensuring that the current and next generations of Saudis are ready and qualified to meet demands of the job market. Thanks to the renowned UK expertise in this field, several links are being developed privately or through business missions between the two kingdoms' educational institutions.” The visiting delegation represented various British universities, colleges and private companies offering face-to-face, online and blended approaches in various specialist fields including coaching and mentoring training, leadership and management training, project management, health related training, online learning, video-driven education and teacher training. Their expertise addresses Saudi universities, private companies and training organizations willing to establish joint degrees and educational partnerships or are looking for executives' and/or staff training programs. Mission leader Bedford said: “The Gulf and Saudi Arabia in particular are very important markets. Our prime minister was here recently to emphasize this importance and our frequent business missions show the significant interest of UK institutions and organizations.” The delegation's visit was organized by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in collaboration with Training Gateway, a platform providing a quick and easy way for any organization to source specialist corporate and executive training and educational partnerships from UK universities and other training providers. Selvaratnam explained her company's role: “Training Gateway offers direct access to over 2,500 coordinators in every UK university and 80 colleges, thus providing the most comprehensive access to university level corporate, vocational and specialist training in the UK.” The delegation represented many other companies willing to build relations with Saudi organizations based on the recognition of common grounds. Member of the delegation and CEO of Coaching Consultancy Limited David Collins shared his personal experience. He said: “I have been constantly visiting Gulf countries during the past two years to understand the local mentality and build up long-term relationships based on trust. Only now my company is starting to sign agreements thanks to interactions that have not been rushed. In Qatar, for instance, the company was able to sign a contract to provide mentor and executive training to the Commercial Bank.” He added: “As concerns Saudi Arabia, this is my first time in the country and what particularly impressed me is the women's potential. After visiting Dar Al-Hekma College, my company is willing to support the institution's initiatives providing master classes and materials.” Shokat announced that a water sector-specific mission is going to visit Saudi Arabia in March at the latest.
