GE Garages offers training on additive manufacturing for Saudi students
GE has been hosting a number of GE Garages workshops for King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) students since 2016 at the GE Saudi Technology & Innovation Center in Dhahran Techno Valley. The workshops, held in partnership with KFUPM, continue as part of this year’s GE Garages program — a series of training sessions for students and young professionals covering topics such as additive manufacturing and prototyping.
GE said its collaboration with KFUPM is part of the commitment of both partners to support the growing Dhahran Techno Valley ecosystem, as well as the new era of digital industrial transformation in the Kingdom that directly complements the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
GE Garages is a skill-building training initiative that serves as an advanced manufacturing lab for technologists, entrepreneurs and the community. It is a “free space” environment that aims to spark interest and engagement of Saudi youth and young professionals in prototyping inventions and gain hands-on experience.
Hisham Albahkali, president & CEO, GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, said: “GE Garages is a significant learning platform that brings the knowledge-base of GE in additive and next-generation manufacturing to a new generation of Saudi talent. Having successfully hosted GE Garages in the Kingdom over the last couple of years, the 2017 series is an ideal fit for to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which focuses on enhancing localized manufacturing, skills, training, and economic diversification. GE Garages underlines our commitment to the Kingdom to strengthen human capital and promote localized innovation by educating young professionals on the latest advances in next-generation manufacturing technologies.”
GE Garages are also open for children from the ages of seven to 14 years, who can be trained on basic coding. Training sessions have also been held exclusively for women as part of GE’s MoU with the Asharqia Chamber of Commerce.
Nidal Ghizawi, director of the GE Saudi Technology & Innovation Center, said: “GE Garages serves the fundamental goal of building the capacity of young Saudis and equipping them with the necessary capabilities to keep pace with the rapid advances in manufacturing technologies globally."