Complete issue (pdf, 12.56 MB, EN) - GIZ

Linking theoretical and practical content with
teaching skills is something that Khalifa and
Nayef have learned at the College – especially
in Stephan Plichta’s electrical engineering
classes. Plichta is one of 65 lecturers from Europe
– mainly from Germany. In his classes,
the trainee teachers are surrounded by electric
circuits and motors. ‘Saudi students are accuse
COMMITMENT
e
r
of dwin dling oil reserves, when Saudi Arabia
will be increasingly reliant on economic sectors
other than oil. Under King Abdullah, who ascended
the throne in 2005, the Saudi Government
is boosting its investment in education
u
and especially in the teaching professions. The
Technical Trainers College in Riyadh is one of
the new training institutions established within
this framework. Since the start of the new semester
in January 2012, around 130 staff at the
College have been providing training and support
for more than 1,000 students. The first
year-groups are about to complete the threeyear
training programme and will graduate with
a Bachelor’s degree in June 2012.
At present, Khalifa Bin Badia spends
most of his time working on a computer numerical
controlled (CNC) lathe, which machines
metal into precisely shaped parts. This
particular lathe has a defect, however. That’s
deliberate: for his Bachelor’s thesis, Khalifa is
investigating the damage and will then produce
an operation and maintenance manual
and show other students how to use the machine.
In other words, it’s not just about repairing
the machine so that it is available for use in
practical training at the College. Khalifa must
also work out how to train his classmates to
operate and maintain the equipment – and deliver
this training in a clear and comprehensible
way.
65 lecturers from Europe
tomed to learning everything that the lecturer
tells them by heart,’ says Plichta. ‘We have a
different approach: we give them problemsolv
ing skills. What’s more, we develop the
training skills that they will need in their future
careers by incorporating them into the
classes that they take here in the College.’
Plichta’s students perform experiments on various
items of equipment and explain the processes
to each other. ‘They are constantly
switching between the roles of student and
teacher.’
For the Technical and Vocational Training
Corporation in Saudi Arabia, which commissioned
the project to set up the College in
Riyadh, GIZ was the obvious choice. German
technology has an outstanding reputation in
Saudi Arabia and GIZ has been implementing
vocational training projects there for more
than 35 years. But at the College in Riyadh,
GIZ is exploring new avenues: ‘Giving such a
30 akzente 02/2012