The Kingdom has identified technical and administrative training as an essential sector of education to support the country's economic and social development. Graduates of training programs in health care, agriculture, teaching and other areas are steadily filling positions at industrial, agricultural and social institutions throughout the country. The General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training, along with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, operates most of the Kingdom's vocational training centers and higher institutes of technical education. The Ministry of Education operates vocational and secondary schools, and several other government agencies run institutes or training centers in their particular specialties.

These institutes teach, for example, machine tooling, metalworking, electro-mechanics, and auto mechanics, offering young Saudis the opportunity to learn skills that are in high demand, and courses specifically tailored to meet the needs of unemployed Saudis.

Another important institution, designed to address the country's shortage of administrative personnel, is the Institute for Public Administration, established in Riyadh in 1961 as a semi-independent public agency. The institute provides basic as well as in-service training for civil servants, carries out research and assists government agencies in administration, communication and computer sciences. Today, it has branches in Dammam and Jeddah, and a special branch in Riyadh for training women. It offers students courses in administration, law, accounting, computer science, maintenance, personnel management, secretarial skills and management planning.

The educational system of Saudi Arabia seeks to bestow the legacy of Islam and the wisdom of the past upon new generations, while training them to meet the challenges of the future. King Fahd has always expressed Saudi Arabia's commitment to provide the country's youth with opportunities to develop their capabilities. Whether their interests are technical, scientific, or artistic, students today have the chance to pursue knowledge in a wide variety of fields, in the most modern educational institutions.

Further Information

Education At the time the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932, education was not accessible to everyone and limited to individualized instruction at religious schools in mosques in urban areas.
Education for Girls Promoting the concept of equal educational opportunities for the sexes posed another problem but one that was ameliorated by Islam’s insistence on the importance of learning in general and the high status accorded to women within Islamic society in particular.
General Education The objectives of Saudi educational policy are to ensure that education becomes more efficient, to meet the religious, economic and social needs of the country and to eradicate illiteracy among Saudi adults.
Higher Education Entering a new era of rapid development of the country's infrastructure and economy in the early 1970s, Saudi Arabia devoted special attention to fostering higher education.
Special and Adult Education The Special Education Department of the Ministry of Education operates schools for the blind, deaf and the physically and mentally handicapped. Other institutes care for older handicapped people.