Successful Graduation into Employment for First Students from the Red Sea Vocational Training Program

Jeddah, 19 July 2023: Red Sea Global (RSG), the multi-project developer behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism destinations, Amaala and The Red Sea, today hosted the graduation ceremony of the first batch of students who have successfully completed the Red Sea Vocational Program delivered by King Abdulaziz University in the presence of His Highness Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi, the Governor of Jeddah.

The program is part of an agreement to provide training support programs targeting young Saudis, in partnership with HRDF, and which end with employment opportunities within the Red Sea Global ecosystem. 

“Today, we celebrate the graduation and employment of an exceptional group of young national talent, whom we have dubbed the ‘Tourism Generation’, because they represent some of the first to complete professional vocational education in the tourism field in the Kingdom. Their employment coincides with the opening of our first resorts at The Red Sea destination and our preparations to welcome first guests to Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea, St. Regis Red Sea Resort, and Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, in addition to the opening of the Red Sea International airport for domestic flights in the coming months”,

John Pagano, Group CEO of RSG, said to graduates and other distinguished guests at the event.

The Red Sea Vocational Program supports one of the main pillars of RSG, with the group aiming to develop a large pool of qualified local talent with the necessary skills to promote a sustainable and more resilient tourism sector in the Kingdom, and to position Saudi Arabia on the global tourism map.

The duration of the program is 21 months, in which students develop skills across multiple tracks. This year, a diploma was awarded to 430 students in the following tracks: Hospitality (133 students), Airport Services (112 students), and Technical Services (185 students). These students now have an opportunity to work at RSG, its subsidiaries or through the global operators of its tourist destinations. 

The program follows a series of initiatives undertaken by RSG since its inception, which are collectively making a long-term contribution to the Kingdom and Vision 2030 by providing young Saudis with the knowledge and experience required to start thier journey towards a successful career in the tourism sector.

Turki Al-Jawini, Director General of HRDF, praised the successful partnership with RSG, calling the graduation of the ‘Tourism Generation’ class one of its key achievements. “This partnership has contributed to the training and qualification of 430 young men and women in the following streams: renewable energy, airport services, hospitality and technology, while also offering career guidance workshops,”

said Al-Jawini.

He also announced an increase to the number of beneficiaries from the partnership to 1,500 Saudi men and women, as well as adding new streams to cover all fields and projects of the company with a total value of more than 120 million riyals. Al-Jawini added: “We allocated this budget to invest in upskilling Saudi’s young people to become essential players at RSG’s expanding portfolio and to support the tourism sector in general.”

Al-Jawini pointed out that the Fund recently launched its new strategy as part of efforts to support the country’s economic transformation, developing training, employment and empowerment programs, and improving labor market efficiency in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Eng. Ahmad Darwish, the Chief Administrative Officer for RSG, also expressed his happiness on the occasion. He explained that the graduation of the ‘Tourism Generation’ is a tangible achievement in line with the highest values adopted by RSG in terms of training and qualifying Saudi talent in the sustainable tourism sector, and employing these graduates in the opening of the first phase of The Red Sea with its innovative, luxury resorts, stunning and diverse natural environment, pristine beaches and clear waters.

“The collaborative efforts of HRDF have played a key role in the success of the Red Sea Vocational Training Program, with their leadership team committed to qualifying young Saudis to join a rapidly expanding sector and share in this national success story, which is central to the Vision 2030 roadmap. For our organization, such an achievement motivates us to launch more educational and training programs, delivering courses that will attract even more talent from around the Kingdom to join us on our journey, and we look forward to sharing details of these additional opportunities very soon,”

said Eng. Darwish.

RSG, as one of the driving forces behind Saudi’s Vision 2030, is playing a key role in diversifying the Kingdom’s economy and creating opportunities for national talent in the tourism sector. In total, the group will create some 70,000 job opportunities through the development of The Red Sea. Upon full completion in 2030, the destination will contain 50 hotels with up to 8,000 hotel rooms, as well as residential properties and villas, and an international airport – Red Sea International.