JEDDAH: The First Conference for Tourism Colleges and institutes in Saudi Arabia is being held at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah between November 26-28.
The conference is aimed at helping graduates find job opportunities, and address the needs of the labor market and the tourism industry in the Kingdom.
It includes discussions between educators and those in the private sector, workshops addressed toward students from different majors, and a career fair that gathers the most important recruiters in the market.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sini, dean of the tourism college in King Abdul Aziz University, told Arab News: “The private sector has always complained that there is a gap between the skills of the graduates and the needs of the market; we had a successful experience at KAU and we are here to share our experiences, learn about international experiences, and come up with an agreement on a strategic plan to improve tourism and hospitality departments in Saudi Arabia.”
The conference hosts international guests from the College of Hospitality Management at the University of Hong Kong and Lausanne Hotels in Switzerland.
“The conference is held to collaborate efforts of more than 20 tourism and hospitality departments in Saudi Arabia, to establish links between the educational system and the job market, and enhance the role of colleges and departments in preparing students to work in the hospitality and tourism industry so they can gradually fulfill the needs of the market.” Al-Sini added
According to Al-Sini, 80 percent of graduates are males, but starting next year, three bachelor majors will be available for female students at KAU: Travel and tourism management; events management; and heritage resources. There will be one master’s program in events management.
The tourism career fair gathered the most important recruiters of tourism enterprises, hotels, airlines, and entertainment companies such as Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Zad company, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and Sheraton Hotels.
