Excellent Saudi-Australian bilateral ties underscored

Ralph King

RIYADH: Australian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ralph King has underscored the excellent bilateral ties between his country and Saudi Arabia as shown by their collaboration in various sectors.
He said that the total trade volume between the two countries amounts to $8 billion annually and that the Kingdom is Australia’s biggest trade partner among the GCC countries.
He noted that one sector in which the two countries have close collaboration is in technical training of Saudi high school graduates, adding that this is part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan.
“The Vision 2030 plan will help young Saudis find jobs through the development of the vocational and technical training sector,” the Australian envoy said during a visit to an aeronautics college in Riyadh.
The college is run in partnership between the Australian College of Aeronautics and the Technical and Vocational Training Corp. (TVTC) to provide training programs to Saudi high school graduates.
The Saudi high school graduates train in the field of aircraft maintenance and in the major international and domestic airlines in preparation for future job opportunities.
The ambassador explained that technical training is important in developing the economy as it will provide employment opportunities to Saudi youths.
He also said that there are existing partnerships between Australian institutions and the TVTC on projects for the training of trainers, Saudi technicians, as well as management of some international colleges.
There are also joint projects for the development of human resources and preparation of standards on quality vocational training assessment.