Accor Middle East managing director Christophe Landais at the launch of the Saudi Management Training Program. Accor Middle East managing director Christophe Landais at the launch of the Saudi Management Training Program.

Accor has launched an all-new ‘Saudi Management Training Program’ to develop the skills and expertise of Saudi nationals in the hospitality industry at management level.

The launch, which took place at the Novotel Al Anoud in Riyadh, is endorsed and part of an initiative by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, which has worked with Accor’s training academy, Tamheed to create this program for Saudi nationals.

Accor Middle East managing director Christophe Landais said: “The Saudi Management Training Program is an important initiative to us as we encourage Saudi Nationals to join the hospitality industry and look forward to nurturing their careers within our future management teams”.

Story continues below
Advertisement

The program, a 15-month curriculum, will include a full academic term, combined with practical training and is divided into two stages, first targeting the development of fundamental skills related to the hospitality field and a second, focusing on acquiring essential management capabilities.

Upon completion and passing the final examination, participants may be granted an official Accor Diploma enabling them to apply for positions such as Assistant Front Office Manager or Assistant Reservation Manager as a first step in their development.

Dr. Abdulaziz Alhazzaa, the director of the Centre for National HRD in Tourism from Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities said: “Creating job opportunities for Saudis in tourism is a strategic goal for SCTA and Accor is a major partner in achieving this goal. Great progress has been made in the Saudization process since the establishment of the SCTA, it has increased from 10% in year 2001 to 27% by the end of 2012. We expect tourism sector to be the major employer for young Saudis in the coming years. We will work with Accor and other major partners in the tourism industry to make the tourism sector more attractive to young Saudis.”

The Accor Group is committed towards achieving a target of 100 hotels in the Middle East by 2015 while this new programme highlights a commitment towards creating a lasting social impact for the region.