After more than a decade of expanding education and technical training programs, the debate in Saudi Arabia is moving to a stage more related to practical experience: How do certificates and training programs turn into competencies capable of working within major transformation projects and making technical and operational decisions in complex environments?
This question gains additional importance with the expansion of modernization projects in the public and private sectors, and with the transition of many organizations from “SAP ECC” systems to “S/4HANA”, a process that raises the demand for specialists who have actual experience in implementation, and not just theoretical knowledge or professional certificates.
Workforce Staffing officials say that Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf countries have invested heavily in education and training over the past ten to twelve years, but building specialized expertise in institutional systems requires time and direct participation in real projects. As systems modernization schedules accelerate, there is a greater need to link training to actual practice within organizations.
From certificate to project
One of the most prominent challenges presented by today's labor market is the difference between possessing basic skills and the ability to work within a large project. According to Padmakumar Alangatu Vijayakumar, Director of Workforce Staffing in Saudi Arabia, universities and training agencies produce graduates with foundational and intermediate skills, but moving to large-scale institutional transformation projects requires additional experience in real environments.
Major projects do not rely solely on knowledge of programs or systems, but rather require dealing with design and operating decisions, time pressures, integration between multiple departments, and problems that arise during implementation, and cannot be fully simulated within training halls. He pointed out during an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that graduates often need a stage of practical experience before they are able to work effectively in high-pressure transformation environments.
Demand is expanding across several sectors
The demand for these skills is not concentrated in one sector, as Viren Sokhon, Managing Director of Workforce Staffing in Africa and the Middle East, states that the need extends to government agencies, oil and gas, utilities, construction, and major projects, in addition to financial services, health care, and logistics.
This is due to these sectors’ reliance on institutional systems that manage basic operations, such as resources, finance, supply chains, and operational services, which makes the availability of competencies capable of operating and developing these systems an important factor in the continuity of transformation programs. Sokhon adds that the growth in demand has been faster than the ability of training programs alone to provide ready-made expertise for projects, especially with the need for specialists in roles that require years of experience, such as designing solutions, managing programs, and building institutional systems.
International experience is part of capacity building
At this stage, the company does not see a conflict between benefiting from international expertise and localization goals, but rather considers that combining the two parties is the most practical path to building strong local competencies. Sokhon says that international expertise is still important in some complex projects, but the greatest value is achieved when this expertise works directly alongside Saudi competencies during implementation, so that knowledge is transferred in real time. He adds that localization should not only be measured by the number of employees, but rather by the extent of knowledge transfer and the ability to assume greater responsibilities within projects. “The key is to ensure that this is not just numerical compliance,” he explains, but rather to focus on developing actual skills and capabilities that can be built upon in subsequent projects.
Mixed teams within projects
One of the methods the company is offering to accelerate this transition is to form teams that combine international and local expertise, instead of separating implementation and training. Vijayakumar asserts that structured mentoring within actual projects is one of the most effective tools, because younger professionals can learn directly from professionals who have previously implemented similar projects. This includes participating in technical meetings, understanding design decisions, following up on implementation phases, and contributing to solving problems that arise during the work. He says that this type of experience allows the acquisition of skills that are difficult to achieve through theoretical training alone, but it requires institutions to invest in supervision, guidance, and giving local competencies a real role within the implementation teams.
Knowledge transfer needs a clear framework
But the presence of local competencies within the project alone is not enough to ensure the transfer of knowledge. According to Vijayakumar, knowledge transfer programs must begin with clear objectives, including defining the skills to be transferred, the time period, and results that can be measured, while monitoring the participants’ progress on a regular basis. Knowledge transfer should go beyond theoretical explanation to include joint work, problem solving, and documentation of real cases of the project. He points out the importance of creating what he described as a “portfolio of evidence” that documents what has been learned and applied, so that experience is not lost once the project ends or one of the specialists leaves.
The role of universities, companies and government
Building a sustainable skills base, according to Workforce Staffing officials, requires integrated roles between employers, universities, government agencies, and technology companies. In their opinion, companies are required to provide practical training and opportunities within projects, while universities need to continuously align curricula with the actual needs of the labor market.
As for government agencies, their role is in Emiratization policies, incentives, and skills development programs, while technology companies and their partners help in providing applied training paths that link certificates and the ability to carry out actual tasks. Sokhon explains that the reason why long experience is still preferred in some projects is due to the nature of the risks themselves, as organizations deal with systems that affect broad financial and operational processes, which makes previous experience an important factor in hiring decisions. However, he believes, this gap cannot be addressed by removing new competencies from projects, but rather by introducing them in a thoughtful manner within experienced teams, so that they gradually gain the ability to assume greater responsibilities.
The next five years
Over the next five years, Workforce Staffing says the priority will be to move from focusing on the number of training programs to measuring the experience individuals gain within actual projects.
This stage includes continuing learning and obtaining certificates, but more closely integrating them with practical experience, leadership development programs, and knowledge transfer. Vijayakumar says that sustainability is achieved when the role of international expertise becomes part of the process of developing local competencies, and not a substitute for them, so that over time, Saudi teams assume greater responsibilities in leading complex systems and projects.
