RIYADH: US-based aerospace company Lockheed Martin is partnering with King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, or KFUPM, on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM, initiatives to upskill Saudi youth.
Both parties aim to increase the number of highly skilled Saudi scientists and engineers, the company said in a statement.
The partnership supports competitions that assess senior year graduation projects at the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.
“At Lockheed Martin we are committed to supporting skilled talent by developing human capabilities for the aerospace and defense sector,” the company’s CEO at Saudi Arabia and Africa, Joseph Rank, said.
“In line with Vision 2030, we continue to support economic diversification goals through the establishment of a robust domestic defense industry,” he added.
The company expects to hire 50,000 new STEM professionals in the next ten years.
Earlier in 2017, Lockheed Martin partnered with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology to fund research projects.