GE has signed an MoU with King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) to extend scholarships to 30 students of the university over the next three years – a first-of-its-kind initiative by the company across the world.

Underlining its commitment to promote Saudi Arabian talent, the company marked a total investment commitment of about SR12 million ($3.20 million).  The scholarships will be provided to the brightest students, chosen by KFUPM internally, a statement from the company said.

Apart from promoting their educational goals, GE also underscored its commitment to hire the students following their graduation to reward them with professional careers at GE’s facilities in the country.

Walid Abukhaled, GE’s president and CEO for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, signed the MoU with Dr Khaled S Al Sultan, director of KFUPM, at a ceremony held in Dhahran, the statement said.

“King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals is at the forefront of driving cutting edge research and development, especially with a focus on sustainable energy management and enhancing energy use efficiency. We already work with GE through the GE Energy Fuel Research Center that explores the field of alternative fuels. The new educational scholarship by GE is a strong testament to the success of public private partnerships in promoting technical education in the kingdom,” Dr Al Sultan.

“With over eight decades of active public and private partnerships in the kingdom, GE is aligned with the development goals of Saudi Arabia. Today, supporting the professional education of young Saudis and empowering them to undertake rewarding career opportunities is a key priority. The company is reiterating its commitment to nurturing Saudi talent through the educational scholarship for KFUPM students. This further builds on its educational initiatives in the kingdom, including professional training programs and support on research & development initiatives,” Abukhaled said.

Continuing GE’s over 130-year history of successful development in human capital around the globe, the company has steadily expanded its knowledge-sharing initiatives in Saudi.

It 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, the statement said.

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. The expanded GE JTP aims to annually train up to 100 students, selected from leading technical colleges across the country, the statement said.

Today, GE supports the generation of half the country’s electricity with over 500 GE turbines installed around at various sites around Saudi. GE has three offices and seven energy facilities, and over 800 employees in the country, it said. – TradeArabia News Service