SAUDI Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cisco to establish a Cisco Networking Academy in the new King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). Saudia is currently building an international IT park at King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, northwest of Jeddah and the agreement with KAEC aims at making use of the huge facilities and opportunities provided by the giant economic city to establish a world-class IT center to support business activities. The Cisco Networking Academy program teaches millions of students from every socioeconomic background the skills needed to design, build, manage, and secure computer networks, improving their career prospects while also filling the global demand for networking professionals. With 10,000 academies in 165 countries, Networking Academy embraces the latest advances in technology to create a rich learning environment and set a standard for using technology in ICT education. The Cisco Networking Academy program also helps prepare students to pursue entry-level ICT jobs, additional education, and globally recognized certification so they can maintain the networks that form the backbone of our global society. This joint initiative between Saudia and Cisco will equip students who graduate from the program for vocational employment and will also help to quickly evolve the careers of young engineers within the Kingdom's telecommunications and networking industry. King Abdullah Economic City has been identified as the ideal locale for the Competency Center due to its cutting-edge facilities, strategic position between East and West, and peerless ability to interact with the region's largest economy. It is predicted the city will be the size of Washington DC when finished in 2025. The US$100 billion project will be particularly influential in boosting the Kingdom's tourism, logistics, energy, transportation and manufacturing sectors. Saudia has already committed to moving 1000 employees to its Smart Technology Hub in King Abdullah Economic City. Eng. Khalid Abdullah Almolhem, Director General, Saudia, said “Saudi Arabia needs to continue strengthening its ability to create sustainable high-tech jobs, and Saudia is determined to do everything it can to support this process.” Dr. Tarig Enaya, managing director, Cisco, Saudi Arabia, said “we are honored and delighted to be collaborating with Saudia through this initiative. The next Internet experience will enable a profound level of collaboration that will change the way we think, the speed by which we invent, how we connect and share information. In order to be able to embrace and sustain this growth, the government and organizations like Saudia are already putting job creation at the forefront of their agendas. In KSA there is a growing youth population that will need to be equipped with the right ICT skills to help them thrive in this ever changing world. By providing access to high-quality educational opportunities and working with the ICT sector through public and private partnerships governments and organizations we will help to create a knowledge economy by imparting vocational training to the youth and preparing students to become members of the global 21st century workforce” — SG
