The Misk Foundation and Siemens have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding at the Misk Global Forum to expand their collaboration to develop opportunities and empower young people in Saudi Arabia.
The agreement will see the two jointly do R&D fellowship schemes to engage Saudi students in topics of mutual interest and strategic intent to help achieve Vision 2030; build up capabilities within the Misk Academy through train-the-trainer concepts, equipment and software; and the expand of the existing Misk-Siemens internship scheme to more countries and with more students.
According to Dr. Roland Busch, Chief Technology Officer and Managing Board Member of Siemens AG, participated in a panel discussion at this year’s Misk Global Forum, “Digitalization is changing everything, which presents opportunities for smart, creative ideas to meet with smart, creative technology. I encourage you to take up the challenge in this ever-changing world and discover what the next generation of technologies can and will do for you and your communities.”
The MoU builds on the agreement that was signed at last year’s Misk Global Forum which led to the creation of an internship scheme for Saudi Arabian youth at Siemens in Germany. The undergraduates were the first engineering students who returned to the Kingdom after completing several assignments over the course of 10 weeks in Siemens Energy Management and Mobility divisions.
The students from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Alfaisal University, and King Saud University were in their third and fourth years of study towards degrees in industrial and electrical engineering. The next intake of students will happen in 2018, with more students in more countries.
Arja Talakar, CEO of Siemens Saudi Arabia said, “Together with the MisK Foundation, we are preparing today’s young talent to lead tomorrow’s digital economy, The first students who interned at Siemens AG have made us proud because their curiosity and enthusiasm has earned them the highest recognition from their mentors in Germany. We look forward to jointly driving more successful initiatives with the MisK Foundation under this MoU.”
The Misk and Siemens collaboration is in line with the Misk Foundation’s dedication to the empowerment of Saudi Arabian youth and the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which is about transforming the economy and society.
