Saudi Arabia Ranks First Globally in Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Based on Global Knowledge Index 2022

Riyadh, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in the percentage of students enrolled in post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 4), in technical and vocational programmes, based on the Global Knowledge Index 2022, which is issued by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation in collaboration with United Nations Development Program and provides reliable data to help countries and decision makers to understand and face the real transformations and challenges, as well as discover future prospects and potential paths.

The Global Knowledge Index contains seven composite sub-indices that focus on the performance of six vital knowledge sectors: pre-university education; technical and vocational education and training; higher education; information and communications technology; research, development and innovation; and economy, a special sub-index for enabling environment that diagnoses social, political, economic, health and environmental context for those sectors.

On this occasion, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) Governor Dr. Ahmad bin Fahad Al-Fahaid extended his congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to HRH the Crown Prince, for Saudi Arabia’s ranking first in a number of vital fields in the Global Knowledge Index.

He stressed that this achievement is the result of the government’s keen interest and of the support lent by the wise leadership of the Kingdom, keen to equip citizens of both genders with skills that enable them to actively contribute to the development and renaissance of the country.

According to Dr. Al-Fahaid, expanding colleges and institutes capacity annually is one of the objectives of TVTC, which has been working on this goal since the launch of the National Vision 2030. In 2021, the target was 24%, and TVTC was able to attract more than 28% of high school graduates. In 2022, the TVTC target was to accept 26% of high school graduates wishing to enrol in technical training programs.

Dr. Al-Fahaid added that several initiatives and programmes the TVTC worked on enabled it to achieve its goals in this aspect; among them, the most prominent are: expanding bachelor’s programmes, expanding training programmes that begin with employment, providing specialised programmes that are compatible with the needs of the current and future labour market in the Kingdom, launching several programmes to secure employment of graduates of both genders, as well as expanding training and development programmes for women.

According to the Global Knowledge Index 2021, TVTC attained the ninth rank globally; it came in 12th in 2020, 86th in 2019, and 117th in 2018.

Source: Saudi Press Agency