KAU Receives KAUST Delegation for Field Training Interviews with Marine Sciences Students

As part of the training agreement between the two universities in marine and ocean
sciences, King Abdulaziz University, represented by the Faculty of Marine Sciences,
received a delegation from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
(KAUST) to conduct interviews with students enrolled in the Field and Cooperative
Training course. The visit took place on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

This visit activates the agreement between KAU and KAUST in education and
training in marine and ocean sciences. It covers the development of academic
programs in marine sciences and the provision of joint training and professional
opportunities that support the development of the national workforce. Areas of
cooperation also include education and training, scientific research, and professional
development, in support of academic and technological advancement and the
development of national and global competencies in scientific and technical fields.

Focused on strengthening students’ applied capabilities, the Field and Cooperative
Training course links academic learning outcomes with the growing needs of the
labor market. Its importance is increasing amid Saudi Arabia’s unprecedented
development boom, reflected in giga-projects such as NEOM, The Red Sea,
AMAALA, and others. These projects extend along Saudi Arabia’s coastline and are
closely connected to marine and coastal environments, creating growing demand for
national talent specialized in marine geology, marine biology, marine chemistry, and
marine physics. Such expertise is needed in areas including environmental impact
assessment, coastal ecosystem monitoring, marine resource management, and
environmental sustainability, which has become an essential requirement in the
design and implementation standards of these projects.

Serving as a strategic response to these rapid developments, the Field and
Cooperative Training course enables students to engage directly with leading
research and institutional environments such as KAUST. This helps prepare them to
contribute effectively to national development and the objectives of Saudi Vision
2030.

It is worth noting that the Faculty of Marine Sciences aims to train its students by
equipping them with skills that meet labor market needs. The faculty has successfully
achieved 70% of its target for training students across all marine disciplines.