- GE to provide scholarships for 30 female students from various Saudi universities
- Selected five students from KFUPM for training in GE's facilities in Germany and Austria
- 60 students from various Saudi universities can attend GE's co-operative and training programs
- Initiatives in line with GE's commitment to the Saudi Vision 2020 to strengthen human resources and enhance competitiveness of Saudi economy
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, January 22, 2012: GE (NYSE: GE) today announced the offering of 30 additional educational scholarships exclusively to female students from various Saudi universities. In all, GE will provide annual scholarships of over SAR 22 million that will benefit 60 Saudi students. Of these, 30 scholarships were announced last year to be presented to students of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM).
The new educational scholarships were announced by GE during the sixth Global Competitiveness Forum, which the company is supporting as a Strategic Sponsor.
Walid Abukhaled, GE's President & Chief Executive Officer for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said: "One of the five distinct pillars of the Saudi Arabian Vision 2020 is to strengthen the Kingdom's human resources capabilities to enable Saudi Arabia to become one of the world's most competitive economies. As a long-term and strategic partner in the growth of the Kingdom, GE aims to enhance the competitive capabilities of Saudis and develop the talents of youngsters of both genders through the scholarships.
"The newly announced additional 30 scholarships complement the company's focus on localization initiatives in the Kingdom and enhancing human capital to enable more Saudi youngsters to take up rewarding careers across high-growth industries.
"Our educational scholarships and other training programs in the Kingdom are designed specifically to complement the governmental objective of promoting overall competitiveness, and ensuring that these conform to areas and technologies that drive Saudi Arabia's economic diversification and other developmental efforts. By investing in the future technologists and young business leaders, we are further underlining our long-term commitment to Saudi Arabia, where we have over 80 years of public private partnerships," added Abukhaled.
As part of the MoU with KFUPM, educational scholarships are provided to 30 of the brightest engineering and management students in the next three years, starting with 10 this year. GE also offers career opportunities to these students following their graduation.
The newly introduced scholarship for female students will also be offered for 30 students over a period of three years with 10 scholarships to be provided this year. These scholarships are open for management students, and those who have secured a minimum GPA of 3 out of 4. Female students across all Saudi universities can apply for the scholarships.
Additionally, GE is offering its co-operative programs and internship opportunities for 60 Saudi students from different universities to start training at GE facilities in the Kingdom. The company has also selected five students from KFUPM for a seven-month training abroad including at the GE Oil & Gas facilities in Germany and GE Power & Water facilities in Austria.
"These scholarships and training programs mark the culture of localized research and training programs that GE promotes in the Kingdom," added Abukhaled. "GE is led by its central credo of imagination and innovation, and through our student outreach programs we are instilling in them the need to foster innovative thinking to address local requirements."
Most recently, GE had announced the results of its second Global Innovation Barometer Survey, with respondents from Saudi Arabia highlighting the value that innovation brings towards creating new jobs, strengthening the economy and creating a 'greener economy' in addition to benefiting the whole society.
GE has a history of developing human capital around the globe for over 130 years. In Saudi Arabia, the company has developed several successful co-op programs with leading Saudi institutions such as the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University as well technical colleges under the Technical & Vocation Training Corporation (TVTC) such as al Hasa, al Ahsa and Dammam College of Technology.
Over 100 Saudi students have already participated in the GE Co-operative programs. Recently, GE extended its highly successful Graduate Management Program (GMP) to the Kingdom. To date, there are 20 GMPs within GE Energy. GE has also signed a MoU with Saudi Arabia's TVTC to expand the GE joint technical program (GE JTP). It builds on the success of the first GE-JTP class which graduated in May 2011. The expanded GE JTP aims to annually train up to 100 students, selected from leading technical colleges across the Kingdom.
Kelly Home
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
[email protected]
+971 4 4507 600
Nivine William
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
[email protected]
+971 4 4507 600