By Special Correspondent
Golf Saudi has today officially announced the development and distribution of its first-ever Arabic Golf Education and Training Programme. By furthering their commitment to creating a more sustainable golfing ecosystem, the programme is centred around providing job opportunities for Saudi nationals whilst simultaneously growing the golf industry in the Kingdom.

Golf Saudi is working with industry leaders including, the Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE), National Centre for Facilities and Hospitality Management (FHM), and Qaderoon Business Disability Network. In order to create a programme which educates individuals and provides a vast array of roles within new and existing facilities, from Golf Course Management to Greenkeeping and Event Planning, delivering 2,200 new jobs by 2025.  

 In the build-up to this week’s announcement at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund, all parties have been hard at work to develop a joint programme which promotes jobs in golf for Saudi nationals, with varying backgrounds, skills, abilities and age ranges, with the intention of making the game fully inclusive in the Kingdom.  

Speaking during a press conference announcing Golf Saudi’s latest educational development, Majed Al Sorour, the CEO and Deputy Chairman of Golf Saudi said: “It is my pleasure to confirm that Golf Saudi has launched the first ever Arabic Education and Training Programme, furthering our commitment to make golf accessible to all. We are already upskilling the existing workforce at our corporate office and at our managed facilities, whilst preparing to roll out the programme to school and university graduates, as well as unemployed persons.” 

The programme is open to any Saudi National who can gain access at no cost, providing an unrivalled pathway to one of the fastest growing sectors in the Kingdom. Developed in partnership with CMAE, the MDP programme  focuses on an education for individuals completely new to golf.  

Five qualification levels have been developed as part of the education journey, which can be paused at any stage, dependent on the individuals aspirations and skillset. This includes an introduction to golf, foundations skills for club service, supervisory and team leadership, internships and the pre-MDP programme.  

 Commenting on the Arabic programme, Bill Sanderson, Lead Presenter at the Club Management Association of Europe said: 

“My thanks first of all must go to Golf Saudi for not only implementing this first programme of its kind, but also to the planning and thought process in rolling it out across the Kingdom. This bold move demonstrates their courage to follow through on their extraordinary vision, in terms of making golf an inclusive sport throughout the Kingdom.  

He added: “Thanks must also go to Qaderoon and FHM who will support the delivery of the programme with their networks across partnered facilities, without whom this plan would not be possible.” 

As one of the three pillars of the National Sustainability Strategy, the Social Agenda is focused on the creation of education, employment and leisure opportunities for all Saudis from all age groups. This aim fits in with the signing of the MOU with Qaderoon because as a non-profit organisation, Qaderoon’s mission is to support and enable employers to include persons with disability as equal and effective members of the workforce.  

Amr Khashoggi, Founder and Chairman of Qaderoon Business Disability Network commented: “We founded Qaderoon in 2014 in full alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, to include, recruit, hire and sustain persons with disability in the workforce. We admire the efforts of Golf Saudi in using this sport as a platform to include all fabrics of the society in the Kingdom, and Qaderoon is honoured to work closely with Golf Saudi in expanding this inclusive mindset to persons with disability. We will help through our varied programs of workshops, training, and our career portal to achieve this goal. We bring best practice from local as well as international sources, as we are members of the International Labour Organisation’s Global Business and Disability Network, based in Geneva, Switzerland, and Business Disability Forum, based in the UK.” 

The roll out of the programme will begin with the upskilling of current staff in the Golf Saudi corporate office, as well as its managed facilities, before the roll out of the ground-breaking education programme with FHM. The certification intends to be rolled out in both classes, and through an online platform, enabling individuals with varied backgrounds to find their way into the golf industry. 

Osama Al Najjar, Executive Director, National Centre for Facilities and Hospitality Management, said: “At FHM we are firm believers in diversity and inclusion, to offer exciting opportunities in hospitality and F&B, whilst supporting the development of our students. Therefore, we are very proud to be working with Golf Saudi on this Arabic programme, to enhance the golf industry’s future leaders in the Kingdom”

Over the next 12 to 18 months, Golf Saudi will continue to work closely with CMAE, FHM and Qaderoon, ensuring its programme is available to all. With expertise from CMAE, individuals will be presented with opportunities in the golf industry that have not been seen before.