Dr. Jamil Al-Baqawi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Council of Engineers, explained that the past year saw numerous achievements and a significant leap forward by the Saudi Council of Engineers through the many developmental steps it took, in accordance with the strategic transformation plan established by the current Board of Directors in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Four Pillars of Achievement
The Saudi Council of Engineers" plan is based on four key pillars to help begin implementing the Vision and achieve the desired accomplishments and goals, which include: – Striving to advance the engineering profession and creating incentives to enhance quality and creativity – Qualifying and developing Saudi engineers and raising performance standards – Focusing on developing the work of engineering and consulting firms and enhancing their capabilities and potential – Focusing on the infrastructure for the Authority’s development and its operational procedures; all of these pillars have seen remarkable progress over the past year.
Achievements at the Professional Level
Al-Baqawi added that the Authority has achieved a number of accomplishments at the professional level to preserve the engineering profession and protect it from intrusion by non-specialists or from straying from its proper course, most notably:
Cracking down on and eliminating the practice of fraudulent engineers by preventing any engineer from entering the Kingdom until the authenticity of their degree has been verified; the process of verifying engineers" degrees now takes place before they enter the Kingdom.
Testing of expatriate engineers
Requiring engineers coming from outside the Kingdom to have at least three years of experience, pass a professional engineering exam, and undergo a personal interview, in line with the directives linking the renewal of residency permits for auxiliary engineering professions and technicians to registration with the Authority.
Establishment of the Transportation and Traffic Engineering Division
The Council of Engineers has begun establishing the Transportation and Traffic Engineering Division, in addition to more than 20 specialized engineering divisions within the Council, given its current importance, as transportation and traffic are considered vital elements in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly with the expansion of cities and the growing population, which has led to an increase in the number of vehicles and various modes of transportation—whether public, private, or commercial.
Approval of the Scholarship Program for Engineers
Regarding engineers, Al-Baqawi noted that last year a scholarship program was approved to send engineers to study English in Cambridge, from which more than 100 engineers benefited.
250 Specialized Engineering Courses
Numerous free or subsidized training courses (at a very nominal fee of 200 riyals for a five-day course) were held for engineers in various cities across the Kingdom, totaling more than 250 specialized engineering courses, benefiting more than 7,000 engineers, in addition to free qualification programs for recent graduates, which have benefited more than 2,500 engineers across all regions of the Kingdom.
Specialized Saudi Building Code Courses
A number of specialized training courses on the Saudi Building Code were held, benefiting more than 180 engineers, in addition to more than 100 specialized engineering lectures delivered by the engineering divisions and branch councils of the Saudi Council of Engineers, which benefited more than 7,500 engineers.
Conferences and E-Learning
The Authority also supported engineers in attending local and international conferences free of charge, with more than 3,000 engineers benefiting from this support, and launched a free e-learning program for Saudi engineers, which has benefited more than 1,300 engineers.
Establishment of Permanent Headquarters
In terms of the Engineers Commission’s infrastructure, the Commission’s main branches in Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah have been relocated to permanent headquarters, in modern buildings that contribute to creating a healthy and comfortable work environment for employees and establishing training and conference rooms in these buildings, which benefit its members and are equipped with the latest technologies for practical and advanced training. The Society has also adopted methods to ensure operational excellence by formulating its work procedures in accordance with best practices, linking them to performance indicators, and monitoring implementation and improvement to enhance the quality of work and measure the performance of its departments.
