SASO practically has launched the Saudi Professional Program (SPP) for Saudi youth, this week. The program is considered a national initiative designed and implemented by SASO, which aims to build national competencies to help in meeting the future needs of young professionals in the fields of standardization(Quality infrastructure).

     SASO has conducted a training course for more than 25 trainees from governmental bodies, companies, factories and military bodies, in which a selection of experts and engineers in the fields of standardization and standards delivered lectures and conducted field visits, in partnership with the private sector. The course has lasted for 3 days during which the trainees were introduced to the importance and types of standard specifications and how to prepare them, as well as identifying technical committees either national, regional or international. The course also briefed the trainees on the conformity activity, in addition to the general methodology of products' safety and products' conformity indicator. Furthermore, the course included field visits to SASO's laboratories for testing and inspection, measurement and calibration laboratories, as well as a visit to one of the distinctive national industrial buildings.

     Moreover, the course included a detailed explanation of SASO's activities in the field of laboratories and technical tests of commodities, as well as the accreditation activity and the mechanism of accreditation of specialized companies and laboratories. Quality activities, as well as measurement and calibration activities, have been introduced as those fields are considered the main pillars of the national standardization system.

     SASO's Deputy Governor for Standards and Laboratories, Eng. Abdullah Al-Qahtani, indicated that this course is the first of three courses to be organized during this year. These courses aim to enable young professionals to learn about the activities of standardization and quality with practical visits to the factories gaining the quality mark to train on ways to ensure the application of standards starting from manufacturing processes into reaching the final product and getting the quality mark. He noted that in conjunction with this course,  a number of targeted universities will be communicated, during this year, to benefit from the program so that awareness lectures will be provided to university students to raise the readiness of professionals from university graduates in the fields of standardization. Therefore, those professionals will be able to enter the labor market with an awareness of the importance of standardization and its impact to strengthen the social and economic development and to emphasize knowledge of how to deal with markets, promote trade, reduce waste and create competitive products and services. Therefore, that enhances the competitiveness of the national industry internally and externally. It is noted that the program, with the help of God, will be repeated annually for a certain period and will be benefited from its first session in the continuous development and improvement, and keep pace with national plans.

     The Saudi Professional Program aims at increasing cooperation and communication with national, regional and international stakeholders in the same competence in the fields of education and industry. In addition, the program aims at introducing young professionals to the concept of standardization at the national, regional and international levels, and to the role of standardization in comprehensive development. Furthermore, the program aims to give young people the opportunity to participate in the work of the technical committees to represent their bodies and the Kingdom, and to encourage and assist universities and technical colleges to adopt programs and curricula in the different fields of standardization.