RIYADH: Colleges of Excellence, which aims to provide world-class employment prospects to Saudis, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the City and Guilds in England and Scotland to help develop skills by providing technical training solutions. It was signed at the City and Guilds headquarters in London under the patronage and in the presence of COE’s board of directors and Ahmed Al-Fuhaid, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Technical and Vocational Training Corporation. The agreement was signed by the CEO of COE Ayman Al-Abdullah, and Kirstie Donnelly, the CEO of City and Guilds Group. City and Guilds is a 145-year-old charitable royal chartered institute that specializes in building vocational competencies through learning programs to support better prospects for people worldwide. The agreement aims to implement training programs through which trainees are granted internationally accredited certificates. It is intended to enhance capabilities, and help achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030’s Human Capability Development Program that aims to ensure that Saudi citizens have the required skills to compete globally, by instilling values as well as enhancing knowledge. The cooperation between the two parties includes the provision of development and rehabilitation trainers. This will facilitate the adoption of the latest concepts and technologies, and help provide modern training methods compatible with the needs of the labor market. Trainers will obtain professional certificates to enhance capacity building within high-skill programs. The two parties will work on the digital accreditation of professional certificates for graduates. Through global partnerships, COE provides qualitative and pioneering training programs that work on applying the highest international standards of training in Saudi Arabia.