The academy will deliver training, professional development and internships to equip graduates with the technical skills and business acumen required to deliver complex infrastructure projects in the Kingdom.

One of the founding principles of the AECOM Academy is to help Saudi nationals benefit from the Kingdom’s infrastructure boom through acquiring skills that enable them to contribute to its economic development. Around 140 graduates have enrolled in the three-year programme, including 20 female students.

The goal of the AECOM Academy is to become the premier professional-development-training organisation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Students will have the opportunity to obtain professional qualifications in their chosen disciplines, such as engineering, design, HR and finance.
Training will encompass placements with client organisations, classroom teaching and online learning. Formal training begins this month, following a three-month competency assessment and the development of individual training plans for students.   

AECOM’s goal is to have around 50 percent of its workforce in the Kingdom comprise Saudi nationals by 2017. The company has been active in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more than 40 years and has played a significant role on a broad range of infrastructure projects, including the King Khaled Medical City, King Khaled International Airport and the Jeddah Stormwater Drainage Programme.

Ghada Ghandourah, executive director of the AECOM Academy, said: “The AECOM Academy will bring opportunities for Saudi nationals to develop skills that enable them to reap the benefits of the Kingdom’s many infrastructure projects. It is appropriate that the academy opens its doors in the same month as International Women’s Day, and I am pleased that a significant number of female students have enrolled.”

Mazen Matar, president, Saudi Arabia, AECOM, said: “As a company operating in the Kingdom for more than four decades, we have a strong interest in supporting the skills development of the men and women in the Saudi national workforce. We are proud to fund the AECOM Academy and look forward to seeing the contribution our students make to the Kingdom’s current and future infrastructure projects.”