Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Development company announced it will be providing 120 scholarships for undergraduate students for the academic year 2019-2020. The educational initiative is part of the "Red Sea Development Scholarship Program," and is in collaboration with the University of Prince Mugrin and the École Hôtelière de Lausanne, one of the oldest hospitality faculties in the world.
The courses and majors offered will potentially prepare a large number of future employees to run the Red Sea Project's first phase, which is set to open in 2022. Sept. 5 is the last day for interested students to apply and they'll be able to register through the company's website.
The funded educational programs extend over five years including 12 months of practice and preparative courses. Their curriculums integrate the hospitality industry, management theories, and applied business projects "in accordance with Swiss and international standards in the hospitality and tourism fields." Students who score the scholarship will have to "undergo field training for two semesters, and go through a practical project during the last semester."
The program comes in line with Saudi Arabia's tourism strategies
In a statement on the matter, Ahmed Ghazi Darwish, CEO of Red Sea Development Co., said the organization aims to support the development of the kingdom's education sector and contribute to the creation of jobs in line with the country's tourism strategies.
"We are proud to have launched this initiative in cooperation with Prince Mugrin University and the Swiss International faculty of Lausanne," he added.
The acting director of the University of Prince Mugrin, Dr. Nabil Al-Rajeh, also spoke about the scholarship program, saying:
"Prince Mugrin bin Abdul Aziz University seeks to contribute to the development of Saudi human capital by offering quality programs that would lead to the recruitment of citizens in accordance with international standards, in order to meet the needs of major developmental projects, like the cooperation agreement with the Red Sea Development Co."
The kingdom is currently working on developing its Red Sea Resort
In 2017, Saudi Arabia unveiled its plans to transform the Red Sea coast into a luxury beach destination governed by "independent laws." According to a document initially reported by Bloomberg, the development will be a "semi-autonomous" area within the kingdom, leading to speculation that the country's traditional rules on dress and prohibition on alcohol will not be applied. The project aims at transforming Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastline into a global tourism hotspot, with luxury hotels and pristine beaches.
Construction work on the project began earlier this year. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 including the development of hotels and luxury residential units, as well as all logistical infrastructure including air, land, and sea transport hubs.
The project is set to be fully completed by 2030 and has already been getting rave reviews from people who've seen how it's slowly materializing into reality.