Saudi Swiss German Alliance to Train 500 Young People in the Field of Hospitality in the Eastern Province
Al Hokair Group for Tourism and Development has revealed it has recently forged an alliance with the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training and one German and one Swiss organization to create a specialized institute to train and employ young Saudis in the hospitality profession.
Sami Al-Hokair, Vice Chairman of Al-Hokair Group for Tourism and Development has selected the middle of next year as the date for launching the institute, which will be based at the Novatel Hotel. The hotel is a prime location, possessing a number of specialists to train 500 Saudis for a period of three months to two years, after which the graduates will be granted a Diploma in Hospitality.
Al- Hokair stated that the institute is the fourth established by the Group, as there are currently similar institutes in Riyadh, Jizan, Baha, Hail, while indicating that these institutes have annually graduated more than 2000 Saudis, whom currently work for the Group. He further explained that other graduates chose to work in hotels and other categories of the hospitality sector.
He further pointed out that the Group is currently studying the establishment of specialized institutes to train girls in hotel careers in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province, in collaboration with some civil and governmental agencies.
On the sidelines a partnership agreement was signed with Carlos Khneisser, Development Manager, Middle East, Hilton Worldwide to run the Hilton Riyadh hotel, which is owned by Al-Hokair Group. Khneisser will begin running the hotel next month, with this being the third such partnership between the Group and Hilton Worldwide. In addition, the Group will be collaborating with Hilton Worldwide to create a five-star hotel in the city of Al-Khobar in early 2014.
For his part, Khneisser pointed out that the political crisis that swept some Arab countries has caused significant financial losses for international hotels, which include Hilton Worldwide, especially in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, by up to more than 40 percent. In contrast, he explained that the occupancy rate has risen in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar by 60 percent, due to the political stability of these countries.