US-headquartered Bechtel, a leading engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company, has rolled out two new local partnerships in Saudi Arabia as it expands its operational relationships and seeks to develop local talent in the Kingdom as it marks its 80th year doing business in KSA.
Last month, Bechtel launched a new partnership with the Saudi Women Engineers Society (SWES) to promote construction careers for women in Saudi Arabia. The company said it would support not-for-profit SWES with professional development, skills enhancement, and career advancement opportunities for Saudi national women engineers. It said the new partnership was in support of Saudi’s Vision 2030 goal to empower women in the region by increasing career opportunities, including development and training, for women in the workforce. Together, Bechtel and SWES will provide training and development programs, organize networking and speaking opportunities, and match SWES members with Bechtel mentors from across its various projects.
“Bechtel is partnering with SWES with the goal of inspiring more women in Saudi Arabia – and around the world – to pursue engineering careers and to become future leaders in our industry,” Abdul-Rahman Al-Ghabban, president of Saudi Arabian Bechtel Company (SABCO) and regional manager for the Middle East Region at Bechtel said.
The move builds on a concerted effort by the company to employ and train more women in recent years.
This week, Bechtel also announced another partnership with Prince Sultan University (PSU) in Riyadh to create a new joint Early Career Program that will provide internships and vocational training to PSU students and graduates.
The program will help develop the next generation of Saudi engineers and construction professionals at a time when Saudi Arabia is building several giga-scale infrastructure projects in line with Vision 2030.
“Bechtel’s partnership with PSU underpins our shared commitment to investing in the development of future engineers and construction professionals,” Al-Ghabban said of this partnership. “The success of this next generation is essential; together, this group will drive continued innovation and growth across the industry and our country.”
The Early Career Program will be open to current and recently graduated students from PSU’s Construction Management and Civil and Environmental Engineering cohorts. Through the program, Bechtel will match students with relevant departments helping guide their continuing education in the industry. Graduates will gain experience across a range of skills, including project controls, engineering, construction, and fieldwork.
