GE Saudi’s female employees lead first STEM Mentoring program for King Saud University students
Eight female students of the College of Computer and Information Sciences at King Saud University majoring in STEM related degree programs participate in 12-week mentoring to strengthen
skill sets for future careers
Initiative underlines the commitment of GE to nurture female Saudi talent for professional careers and to support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030
Supports GE’s ‘Balance the Equation’ initiative to achieve 50:50 female-male workforce representation by 2020
Riyadh
, Saudi Arabia; January xx, 2018: In a first of its kind initiative aimed at nurturing young Saud female talents,
the female employees of GE (NYSE: GE) in Saudi Arabia hosted a STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Mentoring Program for eight female students of the King Saud University
The 12-week mentoring program held at the premises and sites of GE in the Kingdom was attended by female students who are majoring in STEM-related degree courses, and specially focuse elated careers and achieve 50:50 female-male representation by 2020
Hisham Albahkali, President & CEO, GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, said: “By partnering with leading universities and academic institutions over the past years, we have consistently focused on nurturing the skills and talents of young Saudis through workshops and training initiatives. This underpins our commitment to invest in next generation talent in line with Saudi Vision 2030.”
“With the STEM Mentoring program, we are taking this commitment to a new level. Fully led by our female employees and dedicated to supporting female Saudi students of King Saud University, the program aims to provide them with the right aptitude, skills, and on-ground knowledge of working in challenging roles in industry. By familiarizing them with the real-workplace environment and offering them the environment to freely interact with our female employees, they gain a strong hands-on understanding of STEM-driven jobs. This will prepare them for future careers with the right skills, outlook and experience
Dr. Hessah A. AlSalamah, Vice Dean of the College of Computer and Information Sciences at King Saud University, said: “The STEM Mentoring Program by GE is truly innovative and a model for nurturing the professional skills of our students. At King Saud University, we are committed to working with established industry leaders to provide our students a real perspective of how businesses operate. GE’s initiative was different as it was led by the company’s female staff, who provided strong insights to our students on the real-life work environment. The 12-week mentoring session has given them a bird’s eye view of how to leverage their education and pursue high quality Job opportunities that will help them contribute to nation-building
As part of its partnership with leading Saudi universities, GE has been partnering with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), to host number of GE Garages workshops for its students since 2016. The workshops are part of the GE Garages program – a series of training sessions for students and young professionals covering topics such as Additive Manufacturing and prototyping
GE has over 80 years of partnership in the Kingdom and a 2,000-strong workforce, with nearly 50 percent of the talent in highly skilled engineering and technology roles. The company has built an advanced industrial ecosystem that includes a growing local supply chain, with significant partnerships and investments in support of the Kingdom in its economic diversification goals, including building localized manufacturing competencies
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Note to Editors
About King Saud University
King Saud University, the premier institution of higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was established in 1957 to enhance the nation’s growth and well-being.
Through strong government support and many highly-qualified professionals and administrators, KSU has supplied the Saudi people and market with years of invaluable service, and served as a traditional source of skilled professionals and academics needed to meet the nation’s growing needs in the areas of medicine, engineering, agriculture, science and development, the humanities and language
King Saud University does not limit its roles to teaching and research, however, but extends its practical and vital academic functions to the development of Saudi health care and the needs of the private sector
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure, and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
