Saudi Aramco training centers achieve world-renowned accreditation

After more than a year of hard work and dedication, Saudi Aramco has achieved a five-year accreditation award for 28 of our training centers. This accomplishment is yet another breakthrough for Saudi Aramco in the area of education and training, and is yet another sign that the company continues to invest in the professional and vocational development of our workforce.

In early 2016, a team of 17 evaluators from the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) in the United States, including ACCET executive director William Larkin, concluded a final on-site examination of Saudi Aramco Training and Development’s (T&D) job skills, academic, and professional training centers, the Professional Engineering Development Division (PEDD), and for the first time, Drilling and Workover (D&WO).

In total, 28 training organizations were candidates for accreditation or reaccreditation. Highlighting the magnitude of achieving accreditation for every proposed training center, Training & Development general manager Nabil K. Al-Dabal stated, “We are proud to maintain our longstanding accredited status for the sixth time since 1993. During this time, we have increased the number of centers accredited from five to 28, and through collaboration, we have extended our accreditation to cover different organizations.

“This experience has improved the quality of learning and development in Saudi Aramco, has ensured that the programs delivered in our training centers match globally recognized standards of the highest quality, and has equipped us with the tools to accomplish all of this at a reduced cost. It goes without saying that such an achievement will not only satisfy our customers and the corporate strategy, but also will ensure that Saudi Aramco continues to be an employer of choice for both current and future employees.”  

The accreditation body

ACCET, which is one of the bodies that best fits Saudi Aramco’s needs, is an independent body that has been a longstanding partner of Saudi Aramco since 1993, when it accredited five of the company’s job skills training centers — a first in the Middle East.

As an organization, ACCET was established in 1974 for the purpose of improving continuing education and training. In 1978, ACCET was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a “reliable authority” on the quality of education and training. In 1998, ACCET became the only recognized accrediting agency to be certified as an ISO 9001 Quality Management System under the international standards established by the International Organization for Standardization, and to this day, it continues to hold this status.  

2016 accreditation cycle

Due to the length and complexity of the accreditation process, and to maintain consistency of standards through all 28 accredited training centers, T&D’s Quality Assurance and Training Performance Management (QA&TPM) Unit oversees and manages the accreditation process with ACCET and Saudi Aramco proponents. Abdulrahman Dirbashi, T&D consultant and supervisor of the QA&TPM Unit, coordinated the 2016 accreditation exercise from the first stages in March 2015 to its conclusion in August 2016.

“We are happy to see the unwavering support from all organizations, which has provided the necessary basis to make accreditation a successful enterprise. This reflects a serious commitment toward the quality of our program outcomes,” said Dirbashi.