EITI NEWS:
EITI provides training to Saudi Arabia
DATE: December 2010
LOCATION: Middle East
CLIENT:
- Saudi Electricity Company
- 30,000 employees
- 3.5 million customers
- 50,000 MWy
PROBLEM:
- Upgrade technical training skills of Saudi powerline employees
- Learn Live Line procedures so that company can improve customer satisfaction and increase profits without turning off electricity for maintenance and repairs
- Elevate safety standards
- Improve overall operational efficiency
- Decrease dependency on foreign workers
- Achieve independence by 2020
SOLUTION:
- Obtain the highest calibre training firm in the industry
- Engage EITI — Electrical Industry Training Institute Ltd. (instructors were Al Withers and Ben Berkelaar)
- Receive a 2 week Train-the-Trainer program for 16-18 Saudi students
- Program Content: distribution panels, energized systems, points of contact, safety concepts, protective clothing, rescue, live line, barehand and train-the-trainer. Typically programs include 50% classroom and 50% hands-on instruction (includes in the field practical application, simulated environments in the classroom, 3-D software, tools and other equipment). These programs are also typically customized based on an assessment of worker skills gaps and an assessment of equipment and operations. This program, with a focus on train-the-trainer, had a higher classroom portion.
RESULTS:
- Instructors encouraged regular feedback throughout the program to adjust and customize the program to the client needs.
- The ambitious program accomplished a lot within a very short time frame.
- Feedback from the group was universally positive.
"I would like to thank EITI for everything. The instructors were really nice, professional, and informative. We collected many new ideas and learned a lot. Thank you very, very much!"
Saudi Electricity Company