JICA-GOTEVOT cooperation began in 1974 with the launching of the project for the establishment of the Riyadh Technical Electronics Institute (RTEI), that introduced Japanese electronics education methods into the Saudi technical education system. RTEI has since turned out annual batches of quality graduates of electronic courses who find employment in public- and private-sector organizations. JICA
's assistance program for this project, which was completed in September 1996, saw the dispatching of about 200 Japanese technical and educational experts to GOTEVOT and the participation of about 30 Saudi staff training and study tours in Japan. As an offshoot of the successful RTEI project, JICA and GOTEVOT continued on with their technical cooperation in 1996 with another project initiative involving the establishment of the Electronics Education Development Center (EEDC). EEDC's mission is to disseminate the highly successful RTEI education system to the other technical institutes throughout the Kingdom to further upgrade the quality of high school-level electronics education nationwide. A seminar on "Electronics Education: Internship and Partnership", organized by EEDC and JICA and participated in by Japanese resource speakers, was conducted in Riyadh and Jeddah in February and March 1999. Cooperation in College-Level Technical Education:
Under a 4-year project collaboration, JICA and GOTEVOT inaugurated in April 1997 the project involving the upgrading of the RTEI into the Electronics Department at the Riyadh College of Technology. This project is designed to satisfy the ever growing demand in the government and the private sectors for assistant engineers in the fields of industrial electronics, electronic control, computer, and communication technologies. In February of this year, as a fruit of their project, JICA and the Riyadh College of Technology (RCT) jointly organized a one-day scientific seminar on "Electronics Technology in Saudi Arabia and Japan". This event provided the forum for: (1) the exchange of knowledge, views and insights between technical education professionals working at College of Technology and participating Japanese experts, and (2) the dissemination of information on the advancements in electronics technology in Japan, for educational as well as industrial application purposes. JICA's assistance to the project involved the dispatching of 4 Japanese resident experts who, along with their Saudi counterparts, have been carrying out the development of technical education methodology and facilities. In addition, around 10 short-term Japanese experts annually supplement the activities with seminars, workshops, etc. To further support the project, about 5 officials annually from RCT and GOTEVOT have been undergoing training and study tours in Japan.
