Ways to create a link between education and labor and build partnerships with ministries were among the issues discussed at a workshop organised by the Public Education Evaluation Commission (PEEC) in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Creating an effective link between education and labor, besides unifying the qualifications of students and raising the quality of education need greater attention, PEEC Gov. Naif Al-Roomi told the participants of the event. Labor Minister Adel Fakeih and Education Minister Dr. Azzam Al-Dakheel also addressed the workshop.
Al-Roomi underscored the need for partnership between the PEEC and other parties concerned in building a framework for qualification (standards) with the intent of raising standards in all educational and training institutions. “This workshop intends to showcase the most successful global experiences in this field, brief the attendees of the Saudi qualification position and allow other parties concerned to be part of this national system,” he said. “The other goal is to build partnerships with ministries to become strategic partners in the system” Fakeih said Saudi qualification framework will unify concepts and language of skills and professions at the national level. The qualification framework will act as a basic platform that will facilitate planning for professional tracks coping with requirements of the labor market. The platform will open up areas for creative solutions that will provide wider scopes in acquiring general and specialized skills through either class-based education and training, e-education or combined systems, he said.
Al-Dakheel said the launching of the workshop came at a time when the educational process was experiencing enormous development, notably after the “decision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in merging ministries of education and higher education.” He said the Saudi qualification framework will boost confidence and lend credibility to Saudi qualification standards. The event concluded with an interactive session entitled “Current challenges and solutions.”