Arab News

RIYADH: A UN-backed tourism education scheme is set to enhance the training of Saudi workers to help deliver the best international standards in the Kingdom. 

In partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, the UN arm responsible for the field announced the launch of a six-month training program for institutions in Saudi Arabia that specialize in the sector. 

TedQual, a certification system designed by the body to evaluate a series of universally applicable criteria, will help further enhance the quality and training of the relevant bodies in Saudi Arabia. 

Against the backdrop of ITB Berlin last year, the Kingdom and the UN World Tourism Organization signed a memorandum of understanding to bring TedQual to the nation. 

As per a release by the body, up to 50 tourism education and training programs will be assessed as part of the UNWTO TedQual process. 

Similarly, up to 35 initiatives in tourism education and training institutions in the Kingdom will participate in this certification undertaking.

This will enable an evaluation of these particular methods to elevate standards, the ministry said. 

According to the Ministry of Tourism, eligibility requires that the program leads to the attainment of a diploma or higher qualification, is open to the public, and focuses on specializations within the field.

The TedQual project is the first in a series of future collaborations between the two bodies, including the creation of “massive” online open courses targeting the global tourism sector workforce, which amounts to 300 million people. 

The classes will be managerial as well as vocational and available in Arabic, Chinese and English as well as French and Spanish.

Within the stipulations of the MoU, the entities also seek to create a “Jobs Factory and Tourism Labor Market Observatory” to promote the creation of added value positions through capacity building and analysis of the workforce skills in the Kingdom, the release said.

The initiative will potentially benefit up to 100,000 job seekers and involve at least 50 tourism businesses.