THE HUMANRESOURCES CHALLENGEAchieving our commitment to meet the world’s energy needsis possible only through the dedicated efforts of our people.We continue to build on our legacy of success by investing inour people and sharing our expertise with local companies,educational institutions and other domestic stakeholders.As our industry grows more complex, as <strong>Saudi</strong> <strong>Aramco</strong>branches out into new areas, and as the technologieswe employ become more sophisticated, the needincreases for well-trained, highly skilled professionalswho can develop, deploy, adapt and improve on thattechnology. Furthermore, the long-term vitality of the<strong>Saudi</strong> economy depends on cultivation of a highly skilledworkforce.Our approach to the long-term challenge of talentdevelopment has a new dimension. In July, King ‘AbdAllah entrusted <strong>Saudi</strong> <strong>Aramco</strong> with spearheading creationof a new, world-class, research-oriented science andtechnology university in the Kingdom. This institution,the King ‘Abd Allah University of Science andTechnology, will not only produce future leaders inscientific and technological fields, but also strengthenthe country’s research and technology capabilities.Environmental studies have been completed and thepreliminary campus design defined. The university'scharter and an interim organizational structure havebeen created. The university will be built on the Red SeaCoast, near Rabigh, and is scheduled to convene its firstclasses in the fall semester of 2009.In today’s business environment, we need not only goodengineers and skilled technicians, we also need peoplewith highly developed “soft” skills, who can build andlead cross-cultural teams, manage complex initiatives,identify new business opportunities and emergingeconomic trends, and who are equally at home workingin Yokohama or Yanbu‘.As an enterprise whose operations impact the livesof billions of people around the world, it is imperativethat we identify and groom a new generation ofleadership. Each year, managers and division headsapply a rigorous assessment procedure to identify highpotentialindividuals. This process complements ourCorporate, Management and Supervisor AssessmentCenters, run by independent experts, where the leadershippotential of candidates is tested through a series ofdemanding simulations. More than 2,250 participantshave undergone assessment through these centers.We also conduct a number of leadership developmentprograms, including the <strong>Saudi</strong> <strong>Aramco</strong> ManagementDevelopment Seminar. In addition, promising individualsare sent to high-level executive programs offered byleading universities around the world.38 SAUDI ARAMCO
OUR WORKFORCE, NEARLY 52,000 STRONG, IS 87 PERCENT SAUDI WITH ROUGHLY 50 NATIONALITIESREPRESENTED IN THE REMAINDER. WE HAVE A RICH LEGACY OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION, ANDTODAY, ALL EMPLOYEES BENEFIT FROM A WIDE ARRAY OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.ANNUAL REVIEW 2006 39