A mission to learn

We want to promote a learning culture in Saudi Arabia, and we’re leading by example. We run a series of certified vocational training programs for every career level:

• In 2011, we launched the Saudi Aramco Mathletics Initiative for the Ministry of Education and also established a Math E-Portal website with an Arabic interface, based on Saudi Arabian math curricula.
• We created a pilot program to foster 30 Math and Science Clubs in 15 schools in the Eastern Province.
• Saudi Aramco has also committed to a collaboration program, called BLOSSOMS, with Sultan bin Abdulaziz Science and Technology Center (SciTech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. BLOSSOMS stands for Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies.
• We collaborated with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEE) to promote engineering education.
• In 2011, we entered the second year of a three-year renovation project for all 139 Saudi Aramco-Built Government Schools.
  

Doing more for education

We nurture talented people across all age levels, supporting academic excellence wherever we can in educational programs and institutions such as:

• We sponsor over 1,000 of the most promising young Saudi high school graduates to study at overseas universities, such as those in the United States and the United Kingdom.
• By teaming up with national scientific societies we provide science and math training for Saudi high school teachers.
• We also support 10 university chairs across the Kingdom at leading academic institutions, such as King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Saud University and King Abdulaziz University.
  

Building cultural understanding

Promoting cultural knowledge is also essential to our national economic and social development. We believe that the programs offered by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture can help Saudis not only connect with their own culture but also be a catalyst for innovation.

The Center will offer visitors a dynamic, state-of-the-art environment, including a world-class museum and public library. We hope people will use the Center as a place where they can explore their passion for learning, creativity and cross-cultural engagement.

The Center’s staff increased significantly in 2011 to an 85-strong team, and there are plans to expand more.

In 2011, the Center successfully launched six major pilot programs; registered 400 volunteers; developed 300 student projects; held more than 100 workshops; trained and certified more than 50 Saudi teachers; mentored 50 youth leaders; and delivered 50 hours of performing arts.

Knowledge as the driver

We see ourselves as being in the midst of a Knowledge Era, a time that will be defined by the insights and innovations that our employees and leaders inspire. We encourage our company’s continued evolution as an innovator, and we support the Kingdom’s knowledge hub by empowering individuals through world-class educational opportunities.

Cultivating a knowledge economy is important both in terms of our commercial competitiveness as well as the broader educational attainment and development of citizens throughout the Kingdom.

Education and skills empower our company to expand and diversify, just as they empower society to progress. The ongoing educational opportunities we offer our employees and citizens across the Kingdom are meant to lay the foundation for continued success. These stretch from short-term continued learning programs to financial support of higher education institutions and cultural facilities.

Our commitments for 2012 and beyond include the following:

• Expand iSpark, a series of content-rich programs that provide creative opportunities for learning through active engagement, in 2012 to reach 10,000 youth.
• Develop key performance indicators to capture the impact of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture.
• Launch the iRead Program in 2012, to encourage approximately 15,000 students to read.
• Continue the implementation of the Arabic Math E-Portal.
• Launch 26 Math and Science Clubs in the Eastern Province in 2012.
• Train an additional 200 teachers as part of the project Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies (BLOSSOMS).
• Renovate 35 Saudi Aramco-built Government schools.