ICE builds stronger relationships in Saudi Arabia

Stronger links have been forged with engineers working in Saudi Arabia with an inaugural event hosted by the ICE Saudi Arabia branch committee.

The event at the British Embassy in Riyadh aimed to create a launchpad for professional bodies such as the ICE to gain wider recognition in the region.

Incoming ICE President Keith Howells attended the event on 6 October 2022, as well as guest speakers from the Saudi Council of Engineers, King Abdulaziz University and Princess Nora University.

Developing skills

The ICE Saudi branch committee encourages engineers working on projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to become chartered engineers.

This aligns with HRH Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030 goal of developing world-class engineers in the KSA.

A United Nations meeting and a senior-level stakeholder engagement roundtable discussion took place immediately before the event.

They covered the issues such as understanding the potential opportunities for UK and KSA engineers to collaborate. This was closely linked to the Saudi Crown Prince initiative for the Human Capability Development programme.

“A programme whose strategic pillars closely align with the ICE,” said Dr Paul Mckeown, ICE country representative for Saudi Arabia.

The programme is a national strategy in the Kingdom to ensure that the labour market has the skills needed to compete with the world, “through instilling and promoting values, developing basic and future skills, and developing knowledge”.

Mark Jamieson, ICE Council member for Middle East and Africa added: “We look forward to supporting development of Saudi Arabia and its future leaders.”