Saudi Arabia ranks first globally in technical education, vocational training

Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in the percentage of students enrolled in post-secondary non-tertiary education in technical and vocational programs, based on the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) 2022, issued by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation in collaboration with United Nations Development Program.

GKI focuses on seven compound sub-indicators that cover the performance of six key knowledge sectors, which include pre-university education; technical education and vocational training; higher education; ICT; innovation, research and development; the economy; along with the environment sub-indicator, which mainly focuses on the social, political, economic, health and environmental contexts of these sectors.

Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) Governor Ahmad Al-Fahaid noted that expanding colleges and institutes capacity annually is one of the objectives of TVTC, which has been working on this goal since the launch of Vision 2030.

In 2021, the target was 24%, and TVTC was able to attract more than 28% of high school graduates. In 2022, the TVTC target was to accept 26% of high school graduates wishing to enroll in technical training programs.