have to walk them step-by-step through what we want . So , it ’ s a challenge , what with the volume of work that is available and the sheer volume of suppliers in the marketplace .”
Operational challenges aside , RSG is also keenly aware that part of its role is to deliver the social aspects of Vision 2030 , and developing opportunities for young Saudi talent is very much part of this , Edwards says .
“ By growing leisure tourism we ’ re creating a new industry in Saudi Arabia , which has in the past only offered religious tourism for people coming for pilgrimage .”
RSG has a number of ways it creates opportunities for talented Saudi men and women . It runs a hospitality scholarship programme , whose intake is young students , who are then trained in hospitality .
“ We also have vocational training programmes that train people to be chefs , mobility specialists and horticulturalists ,” says Edwards . “ These large-scale destinations need a lot of people to run them .
“ We also have an elite graduate programme , whereby we take 50 of the top graduates from across the Kingdom ’ s universities , and run them through a two-year on-the-job rotational training programme , to develop and to nurture the talent that will be leading these projects in the future .” procurementmag . com 53