Female Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Lincoln College Group (LCG) has been operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) since 2014. Success that is built on a dynamic, strategic partnership between Lincoln College International (LCI) and the Colleges of Excellence (CoE). Our partnership is one of collaborative innovation; it is founded upon trust and confidence to support the Government’s delivery of the Saudi 2030 vision.
The programme delivers technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in a number of locations.
Its flagship, The Qatief Female International Technical College (QFITC) provides vocational training in business services to more than 2,000 students a year.
Lincoln College Group consists of Lincoln, Gainsborough and Newark Colleges, which train 11,000 school leavers and adults a year across professional and industry courses, apprenticeships, A levels and Higher Education.
For more than 130 years we have been adding recognised economic and social value across the Region. Working with more than 1,200 local businesses in the East Midlands, we train 4,200 apprentices a year across a range of delivery models to meet employers’ specific needs. We pride ourselves on being the most responsive training provider in the region.
Lincoln College Group is a not-for-profit charity. Unlike private training providers, our profit does not go to shareholders.
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The Qatief College was set to be at the forefront of cultural change, in line with the Saudi 2030 Vision, to reduce unemployment and raise female workforce aspirations and opportunities.
The qualifications needed to be internationally recognised but more importantly the students must be ‘fit for purpose’ and progress into work at the end of the training.
The challenge was to enable learning that developed confidence, personal and business skills to meet the needs of employers and to contribute to the ‘Saudisation’ of the workforce.
UK expertise & extensive employer engagement has enabled significant innovation in developing and delivering a curriculum within clear frameworks; one that balances vocational learning with continuous skills and personal development. The creation of and interaction with the College Advisory Board is key to this success.
This capability sharing across the LCG has also led to the development of a simulation centre, creating service sector environments within the College for student training and the development of a Careers’ Centre, leading to 100% on-the-job training.
Our success at Qatief is underpinned by:
- Recruiting and developing highly qualified, experienced teachers with industry backgrounds. This spans all core curriculum areas from the Preliminary English Test to Foundation, Associate Diploma and Diploma levels.
- A comprehensive recruitment, enrolment, student admission and induction process which has driven up student retention and performance.
- A strong focus on pastoral support, promoting both mental and physical health and wellbeing, thus developing positive attitudes to life and study.
- Effective back-office services, including highly regarded student services and management information capability.
- Working with teachers to identify their development needs and initiating a teacher training development programme.
The QFITC has led from the front in training and in support of cultural change. The college has strong community links and reputation as a direct result of respect and cultural awareness during its operation. This is also endorsed and supported through employer links enriching the curriculum, resulting in 100% student engagement in on-the-job training.
Operating at 100% capacity, Qatief is one of the largest and most successful female colleges in KSA. Returning excellent retention (93%), attendance rates and progression between levels, with Foundation to Associate Diploma (97%), Associate Diploma to Diploma (99%).
Empowering student engagement through a highly motivated student council has led to students supporting advances and seizing opportunities for development. The college has supported many female staff and students to learn how to drive and has recently trained female forklift drivers, a concept that would have been unthinkable five years ago.
This partnership has brought a new type of female employee to the Kingdom, to support the Government’s initiative to increase the ‘Saudisation’ of the workforce and to increase the female participation percentage. The young people graduating this college are and will respectfully challenge the status quo whilst contributing to their community and nation. In delivering this training and development we contributed to the long-term sustainability of the KSA but also our colleges in the UK. Revenue and experiences that return to UK support our domestic operations, enriching the opportunities for our staff, students and communities too.