JEDDAH — As part of its efforts to align the academic system more closely with labor market needs, the Faculty of Tourism at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) has set up new departments, taking into account Kingdom’s existing and future plans to develop tourism and hospitality sectors. With an aim to support the drive, the faculty seeks to ensure graduates from all disciplines have the skills and knowledge in line with modern scientific concepts, said Dr. Nasser Bin Nimas Al-Bugumi, the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at KAU, according to a Saudi Press Agency report. The faculty’s new departments are in the Events Management Section on both campuses for men and women. The first batch of the section passed out this year, along with those who graduated from other departments, like Travel and Tourism (TT), Hospitality and Hotel Management (HT), and Events and Occasions Management. These departments are keeping pace with the applied practical faculties in the field of tourism and hospitality, Dr. Nasser Al-Bugumi added. He said that the faculty has concluded many agreements, alliances and strategic partnerships with companies and government and private entities, locally and globally. An example is the system of hotels and tourist resorts and the various business sectors associated with them, in joint cooperation agreements. The terms of the agreements include employing the faculty’s students so that they get practical training while studying and after graduation. This will contribute to developing their capabilities and qualifying them appropriately in the tourism and hospitality industry. Among the recent agreements, was the one with the Arab Tourism Organization, with the aim of training 10,000 workers in the tourism sector in the Arab world, as part of the faculty’s contributions, locally and regionally. Dr. Al-Bugumi added that the faculty granted diplomas and bachelor’s degrees in various specializations, and the master’s degree for the second year in a row, which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom. He said the design of the college’s curricula is in line with modern concepts that take into account the balance between the theoretical academic aspect and the applied professional side, with a focus on providing both male and female students with the technical and scientific skills. The curricula also attach special importance to practical training that occupies a large space in the college plan, where its educational philosophy is based on a balance between theoretical study and field application, Dr. Al-Bugumi asserted. It is noteworthy that the Faculty of Tourism offers many professional diplomas such as the Entertainment Management Diploma, which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom by providing participants with the skills and knowledge that qualify them to work in the entertainment industry. Other diplomas include the professional diploma in Culinary Arts and Skills, the diploma in Management of Hajj and Umrah services by providing a number of specialized scientific and practical subjects in the field of “Hajj and Umrah industry”; food and beverage management and safety; management, operation, and care for the environment. Other diplomas include those in the management and organization of major events; and management of international exhibitions and conferences, which defines the main concepts of the conference and exhibition industry and its importance in the Saudi economy and mastering the skills needed to plan, organize and manage international and domestic conferences and exhibitions.