German skills boost for Saudi Electricity staff

09/02/2012 07:58 AST

Eight selected engineers of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) will commence training at Siemens in Germany as part of an Expert Development Program, with the aim of expanding their know-how in the fields of energy and grid technology.

Training officially started on December 5 and will run for 52 weeks.

The Saudi engineers will receive training based on a proven Siemens dual-training concept, which combines theory with practice.

The theoretical instruction will be held at the prestigious Siemens Technik Akademie in Berlin and Nuremberg, while practical training will take place at locations including the Siemens state-of-the-art gas turbine manufacturing plant in Berlin and its transformer production facility in Nuremberg.

“Saudi Arabia and the region are undergoing highly dynamic growth and have a major demand for sustainable energy supply. That calls for technological know-how and creates opportunities for ambitious, well-trained people,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO of Siemens Energy in the Middle East.

Arja Talakar, CEO of Siemens in Saudi Arabia, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve concluded this cooperation agreement with SEC. Over the course of a year, we’ll be training these young people in the latest technologies at Siemens. This cooperation is a further milestone in our long-term relationship with SEC and our commitment to the development of local Saudi talent.”

Ali S. Al-Barrak, president and CEO of SEC, said: “Training of the first eight engineers in Germany is an important first step in this direction.”

In February of this year, Siemens announced its intention to invest hundreds of millions of Dollars in the construction of a manufacturing and engineering center in Dammam.

It will house a gas turbine and rotating equipment manufacturing and a service center.

With this new center, Siemens will create jobs for local and international experts in Saudi Arabia.

With a particular focus on the advancement of young people, Siemens will also offer various training and educational programs.

On Nov. 2, 2011, Siemens announced cooperation with Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic (SPSP) for the training of 40 young Saudi nationals.

This training program includes 2 years of theoretical and practical courses at SPSP and 1 year of applied “on the job” apprenticeships at Siemens.

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world’s leading supplier of a complete spectrum of products, services and solutions for power generation in thermal power plants and using renewables, power transmission in grids and for the extraction, processing and transport of oil and gas.

In fiscal 2011 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of euros 27.6 billion and received new orders totaling approximately euros 34.8 billion and posted a profit of more than euros 4.1 billion. On September 30, 2011, the Energy Sector had a work force of more than 97,000.

Arab News