Riyadh Berlin to boost cooperation in technical vocational training

(MENAFN- Arab News) Germany plans to boost cooperation with Saudi Arabia in technical and vocational training which has been in force for more than 20 years a Riyadh-based German diplomat told local media.Germany has trained more than 1000 Saudi citizens since 2009 in a variety of technical and vocational branches conducted by 80 professional German trainers Michael Ohnmacht the German embassy spokesman told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily.The diplomat expressed his country's desire to promote cooperation in vocational education through the organization of a series of training programs for trainers.With the 20-year agreement still in place German ambassador to Riyadh Boris Ruge has renewed the call for the development of cooperation with Saudi Labor Minister Adel Fakeih to maximize outputs by 2015 he said.He said Saudi Arabia has reaped the fruits of the cooperation through the completion of the training of a large number of trainers in various vocational and technical fields adding that the Kingdom has achieved an advanced status among European countries in this regard.Last week Fakeih and the German envoy explored ways to boost aspects of cooperation between the two countries in vocational and technical fields.The German envoy appreciated developments witnessed by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) notably in its efforts to expand technical colleges.He also expressed admiration for the Ministry of Labor's programs and initiatives and its continued efforts in the localization (Saudization) of jobs. He also expressed the desire to strengthen cooperation with the ministry in work areas notably those related to technical and vocational training.