Test a must for newly hired expat engineers

JEDDAH: The Board of the Saudi Council of Engineers has decided not to approve the recruitment of anyone from outside the Kingdom with experience of less than three years. Also, anyone hired abroad will have to take a professional test and face a personal interview.
Jamil Al-Bagawi, president of the board of directors, explained that the decision came in response to proposals of the members of the board of directors to crack down on the low quality of national projects. It also came to the notice of the board companies and engineering offices recruit fresh engineering graduates without any professional experience. Some do not have the sufficient qualifications to practice the engineering profession and work directly on the various projects, which has had a negative impact on the quality of work and harms the national economy and development projects.
He said this decision comes after a directive of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif to the Interior Ministry not to grant residency to an engineer until after making sure of his certificate and putting him under a professional test and personal interview.