The Saudi-Japanese Automobile Institute (SJAHI) has trained two hundred automobile service graduates, who will take up jobs in the automobile sector following their graduation ceremony later today.
The ceremony in Jeddah celebrates graduation of the first group of SJAHI students. Governor of Makkah Region Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdul Aziz will attend the ceremony.
“The event, which will be attended by a large number of automobile dealers and representatives from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), symbolizes the Japanese role in training Saudi youngsters in the field of automobile service technology,” said Seiichi Miyoshi, resident representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). “These graduates are likely to be absorbed in the Kingdom’s huge automobile market immediately after their passing out ceremony,” Miyoshi said.
SJAHI, which opened a new era in the long-standing, firm relations between the Saudi Arabia and Japan, was constructed on a piece of land donated by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, in 2002.
The institute aims to guarantee that Saudi youth are technically qualified in car maintenance, according to a press statement published today.
The SJAHI facility comprises thirty classrooms and two large workshops, equipped with highly advanced training facilities, and 80 cars provided by Japanese manufacturers and their local distributors for student training.
Referring to JICA’s efforts to promote Saudization, Miyoshi said: “SJAHI symbolizes the great efforts by JICA and the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) to train the national work force in cooperation. All Japanese car dealers in the Kingdom await the SJAHI automobile technicians’ joining their workshops.”
The JICA Chief Executive emphasized that the automobile institute reflects the Kingdom’s efforts to nationalize jobs and encourage the private sector role in promoting the process of Saudization.
Almost 400 Saudi students are currently enrolled in SJAHI. According to a SJAHI report, the automobile institute has designed intensive courses that directly correspond to the needs of the Kingdom’s automobile industry.
Many local distributors of Japanese cars, including Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Mazda, Isuzu, Subaru and Daihatsu, are partners with Japanese car manufacturers in the SR100 million automobile institute.
Source: SPA
