Over 120 Saudi youth join Innovation Summit to explore next-gen STEM careers

More than 120 Saudi university students joined the Saudi Arabia Innovation Summit 2023, organized by Schneider Electric, for exclusive career coaching, designed to create better job prospects and empower the country’s youth to be future trailblazers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Students from eight leading universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia received coaching on how to build a successful career in covering key industries at the nexus of technology, artificial intelligence, energy efficiency and sustainability.

Saudi youth enrolled in STEM courses across the country joined a special coaching session, which aimed to promote youth empowerment, increase the capabilities of Saudi talents and improve their ability to compete for top jobs in energy management, technology and automation.

“We firmly believe in empowering youth with the knowledge and skills that they need to shape their careers, foster innovation and build strong collaborative networks to create impactful and meaningful change,” said Nahla Akhdar, Vice President of Human Resources, Saudi Arabia for Schneider Electric.

“Today’s youth not only face increasingly complex social and economic challenges, but are also an integral part of the global energy transition, designed to build more resilient ecosystems and contribute to the development of sustainable and connected industries. This program provided practical, real-life skills training that is essential in the workplace. It complements Schneider Electric’s global pledge to train one million young people by 2025 and aligns with our commitment to promote Saudi talents and the country’s youth.”

Strategically aligned with the Kingdom's Human Capability Development Program, part of Saudi Vision 2030, the career event took place at Schneider Electric’s Saudi Arabia Innovation Summit in Riyadh. During the two-day summit, the company outlined how it is supporting Saudi Vision 2023 with key graduate and leadership programs for women and youth as well as fast-track development initiatives. Moreover, Schneider Electric is also creating specific programs to empower youth in digital innovation job roles in fields such as cybersecurity, data analysis and artificial intelligence.  

These programs build on Schneider Electric’s long-standing commitment to empower youth. Last year, 22 Saudi graduates joined Schneider Electric’s Early Career Program in the Kingdom, with nearly two-thirds of them being women. It is part of Schneider Electrics Middle East & Africa Graduate Program which spans 39 countries and gives youth opportunities to work across 90 job locations. This year, more than 150 students were welcomed onto the programmed.

Earlier this year, Schneider Electric launched NextGen Go Green, a global student competition that seeks to uncover innovative concepts for fostering sustainable and community-oriented cities. Students from Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in the competition to develop future-forward ideas for how energy is used across cities and sustainable buildings and homes.

Held under the theme of Innovations for a Sustainable World, Schneider Electric’s first Innovation Summit in the Kingdom explored the software and technologies making the digital, electric world a reality across homes, buildings, data centers, industry, and infrastructure. 

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