JEDDAH, 13 May 2005 — The chairman of the board of Dar Al-Hekma Private Girls’ College announced plans Wednesday to build a men’s college at Rabigh on the Red Sea coast.

Zuhair Fayez of Al-Ilm Foundation made the announcement in Durrat Al-Arus during a meeting of the Gulf Society of Organizational Learning (Gulf SoL).

He said plans for the non-profit institution must be approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and will be funded through contributions and endowments. Curricula will be developed in direct response to the job market with an emphasis on engineering, business and technology.

Fayez said Rabigh was chosen for two reasons. The location will support the development of the petrochemical-dedicated refining and industrial complex at Rabigh currently being explored by Saudi Aramco and Japanese industrial giant Sumitomo. Educators also wanted a controlled environment away from the distractions of city life for what is envisioned as a residential college.

Fayez made his comments during a meeting of business, academic and industrial leaders who had come together to examine ways to maximize the economic development potential to create sustainable, long-term growth in the Kingdom against the backdrop of high oil prices and more than $100 billion in large infrastructure, water and energy projects planned for the coming years.

Training and education have been a concern for Gulf SoL, which is trying to encourage private-sector initiatives to assist the government in development issues. Current Gulf SoL-member projects include private-sector vocational training centers and a center where Saudi youngsters learn computer and electronic skills to understand process control automation and robotics principles.

Fayez said plans for a men’s college had been in the works for several years, but the shortage of qualified Saudis in the engineering and technical fields prompted Al-Ilm Foundation to act now.

“We’ve had plans to start the college for some time, but we needed to focus on the girls’ school,” Fayez said.