Accor Middle East, a leading hotel group in the region, has launched its first hospitality management training programme for Saudi nationals.

The ‘Saudi Management Training Program’ was launched at the Novotel Al Anoud in Riyadh and is part of an initiative by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), which worked with Accor’s training academy, Tamheed to create the programme.

The programme is designed to nurture the careers of Saudi nationals in the field of hospitality as future leaders of Accor hotels, said a statement.
 
Christophe Landais, managing director of Accor Middle East, said: “The training programme is an important initiative to us as we encourage Saudi Nationals to join the hospitality industry and look forward to nurturing their careers within our future management teams.”

The 15-month curriculum will include a full academic term, combined with practical training. It is divided into two stages, first targeting the development of fundamental skills related to the hospitality field and second, focusing on acquiring essential management capabilities.

Upon completion and passing the final examination, participants will be granted an official Accor Diploma enabling them to apply for positions such as assistant front office manager or assistant reservation manager as a first step in their development.

Dr Abdulaziz Alhazzaa, director of the Center for National HRD in Tourism, SCTA, said: “Creating job opportunities for Saudis in tourism is a strategic goal for SCTA and Accor is a major partner in achieving this goal. Great progress has been made in the Saudisation process, which has increased from 10 per cent in 2001 to 27 per cent in 2012. We expect tourism sector to be the major employer for young Saudis in the coming years.”

Currently 15 members have been recruited through an extensive search across the kingdom, in a drive spearheaded by Salah Oumouden, vice-president of Accor in Saudi Arabia. - TradeArabia News Service