News
Posted 1 May 2009
AIT Signs Multimillion Euro Contract with Saudi Arabian Training Agency
Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) has announced significant contracts with the Technical Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The announcement was made during the Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Qatar led by the Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan TD. Waterford and Galway-Mayo Institutes of Technology have also signed similar agreements.
Over the last 2-3 years, the institutes of technology have worked with Enterprise Ireland to develop and further links with TVTC. TVTC is a government institution which is responsible for development of the workforce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in both technical and vocational education.
Following a joint workshop earlier in 2009, AIT, GMIT and WIT are to collectively receive 200 full-time TVTC scholarship students over a 3 to 4 year period. The students will study a range of courses including engineering, science and business. The total spend in the Irish economy is estimated at €20 million including fees and expenditure in the local economy.
In further evidence of the strengthening relationship between AIT and TVTC, 25 students from Saudi Arabia will study at the institute this summer, including 15 Deans who will undertake a number of modules in management and HRM.
President of AIT, Prof. Ciarán Ó Catháin said: “This Saudi Arabian contract underlines the international reputation which AIT enjoys. We have invested significantly in recent years in building partnerships around the world and this latest agreement in the Middle East offers enormous potential for the institute and the Midlands in general. AIT already enjoys one of the highest ratios of overseas students of any Irish third-level college. One-in-ten of our full-time students is from outside of Ireland, which contributes enormously to a rich multicultural learning environment for all of our students. In these economically uncertain times, such an international educational experience is of enormous benefit to our learners and graduates,” he said.
