The Knowledge Economic City (KEC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a partnership with Technical & Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) to train Saudis by establishing specialized institutions in communication and information technology. The signing ceremony took place on Tuesday at Qasr Al-Sharq Hall of Hilton, Jeddah. Eng. Tahir Bawazir, chief executive officer (CEO) of KEC, signed on behalf of his company while Dr. Ali Bin Nasir Al-Ghufais governor of TVTC, signed for his organization. TVTC Governor Al-Geface expressed his pleasure on the signing of this MoU and announced that TVTC will participate in the construction of Communication and Information Technology Colleges, including lecture halls, auditoriums, labs, workshops and support services facilities such as cafeterias, playgrounds, and library in addition to information infrastructure and internet links. He also hoped that KEC - by way of this MoU - will create jobs and economic opportunities for Saudi youth. The MoU will promote Saudi technical and scientific innovation, which in turn, will assist in the provision of welfare and increased production. It will also build and improve local human resources which are key to Saudi youth joining the economic knowledge matrix in the future, he added. Bawazir said the MoU will integrate and support knowledge- and training-based industries. “The objective of this MoU is to establish specialized institutions in communication and information technology training - and knowledge industries in general within KEC,” adding that “t‘hese educational complexes will help achieve objectives of knowledge industries sector in compliance with KEC's projected goals.” He said KEC will allocate the land required to build the educational complexes that will accommodate up to 24,000 male and female students. “Master plans and architectural drawings for these projects will be prepared soon in full coordination with TVTC in addition to provision of the required infrastructure,” he added. KEC and TVTC will jointly manage these complexes in cooperation with local and international pioneer institutions and universities in each technical trade. Sarry Shaaban, public relations manager of KEC, explained that KEC aims at attracting students from all over the world to benefit from science and knowledge-based technologies. “KEC will be a pioneer in advanced technical research centers and supporting research infrastructure including labs, affiliates of local and Islamic research centers in modern communications and its applications, IT industries and development of computer and multi-media applications with business administration colleges and institutions,” he said. __
