JEDDAH — TQ Education and Training, a Pearson subsidiary that provides outsourced training solutions, has been awarded a five-year contract to develop and operate three vocational colleges in Saudi Arabia, providing high quality vocational skills and qualifications for more than 8,000 students. The contract, which makes TQ fully responsible for vocational training at the colleges in Makkah, Buraidah and Madinah, was announced by the Colleges of Excellence, the newly established body for public-private partnerships for technical and vocational education and training in Saudi Arabia. The colleges in Makkah and Buraidah are for male students and the Madinah college is for female students. All three colleges will open in September. In all, the Colleges of Excellence program will see 10 new technical training institutes set up across the Kingdom this year. TQ will work closely with employers in Saudi Arabia to provide world-class, high quality and desirable vocational training and qualifications for young Saudis. The program will be a fundamental step in improving employment prospects for young people in Saudi Arabia, equipping them to be sought-after employees so that they can lead stable and rewarding careers, said a TQ statement. The new deal has been signed in Riyadh by TQ's Executive Chairman Christopher Samler and Ali Al-Ghafis, vice chairman of the board of the Colleges of Excellence. Samler said: “Working together in partnership with the Colleges of Excellence, the local community, employers, parents and the students, TQ and Pearson will be focused on delivering positive outcomes for our students and improving people's lives through training. Our aim is to offer young Saudis education and training that helps them compete for jobs successfully in the local labor market. We are committed to making a difference to young people's lives and futures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” Saleh A. Alamr, chief executive officer of the Colleges of Excellence, said: “We are delighted that TQ is one of the key providers to deliver vocational training to young Saudis in this first phase of the Colleges of Excellence program of vocational training and education reform in Saudi Arabia. TQ, as part of Pearson, has a strong reputation in the Kingdom and we look forward to growing that relationship as we work together to open these new colleges in September.” TQ is an established provider of vocational education and training in Saudi Arabia, delivering high-quality electrical, engineering and English language training to more than 1,500 students every year at three campuses of the Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic. — SG
