A total of 71 per cent of Saudi students revealed they are planning to undertake further study and 62 per cent said that they have plans to study abroad, according to a survey and study undertaken by Pearson, a leading education company.

Pearson, which offers Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications in Saudi Arabia, surveyed learners who had recently completed a Pearson qualification in the country. The ‘Next Steps’ Survey was part of a global undertaking by the company to determine how well qualifications are preparing learners for higher education and the workforce, and to better understand the long-term career aspirations of graduates.

Karim Daoud, Pearson’s managing director in the Middle East, says the results of the survey in Saudi Arabia show young people in the Kingdom are taking their education, and future career, seriously.

“I am encouraged by the large number of Saudi school and college leavers who have plans to continue their education at university level, either at home, or abroad. The results of the survey suggest our youth understand the importance of a good education to their future earning potential, and ability to find rewarding employment in a tight regional and global job market”.

Ensuring qualifications have a positive impact on the lives of those who undertake them is of critical importance to Pearson, a company who has made a global pledge to support efficacy in education.

Daoud says: “We firmly believe that learning should be a life-changing opportunity and a great education should have a measureable, proven impact on learners’ lives. That is why Pearson aims to report on the learning outcomes of all its products and services by 2018. That means everything we do here in Saudi Arabia, including our qualifications offering, will be assessed according to an Efficacy framework. However, the country’s results in the Next Steps Survey suggest that we are already on the right path to ensuring learners are benefitting from their education, with exciting future prospects opened up to them as a result of their Pearson qualification”.

Riyadh-based student, Fayssal Al Qudrah who completed a Pearson International GSCE, says the qualification was excellent preparation for his future academic aspirations, which include studying pre-pharmacy at the University of Bridgeport in the United States, and eventually medicine at a foreign university.

“I wanted to study something that would help me realise my goal of becoming a medical doctor. My Pearson IAL AS Level qualifications in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology was a great basis for my current studies. I hope to go to a leading university in the US– my International GSCE qualification has set me on the right path to achieving this goal. I would recommend to other young Saudis with big dreams to also consider an internationally recognised qualification – it really can help set you up for an exciting future,” Al Qudrah said. - TradeArabia News Service