SABIC, ExxonMobil take part in HIEI graduation ceremony

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and ExxonMobil participated in the first graduation ceremony of the High Institute for Elastomers Industries (HIEI) in Yanbu on March 4.
The ceremony, held with the support of Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman, was attended by Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Thunayan Al-Saud, chairman of SABIC’s board of directors, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) Gov. Ali Nasser Al-Ghafis, Yousef Al-Benyan, acting SABIC CEO, and Yanbu Gov. Musaed Al-Saleem.
Located in Yanbu, the HIEI offers a world-class, full service learning facility complete with state-of-the-art laboratories and advanced learning centers.
In 2012, SABIC and affiliates of ExxonMobil announced plans to construct a world-scale specialty elastomers facility at the joint venture Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company (KEMYA) manufacturing.
The HIEI was established in 2012 as a nonprofit institute initiated by TVTC and in cooperation with SABIC and ExxonMobil.
The HIEI’s Saudi instructors attended a two-year teaching program at the University of Akron (UA) in Ohio, US, one of the world’s leading resources for polymer science research. After successfully completing the program, the Saudi instructors returned to the HIEI to deliver a two and a half year elastomers program.
Prince Saud said: “The HIEI is a testament of the great care that the Kingdom’s leadership attaches to the Saudi youth, through providing specialized training institutions, which create job opportunities and practical education namely in technological areas.”
Al-Benyan stressed that SABIC, since its inception, realized the integral relationship with the public sector, local businesses and educational institutions.
“That is especially true in the field of HR development and technology, two areas whose activities overlap with other industrial and economic sectors,” he said.
Philippe Ducom, chairman of ExxonMobil Saudi Arabia, said: “This event marks another milestone in ExxonMobil’s long history of investment and partnership in growth opportunities in the Kingdom.”