Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 17, 2012: Nestlé’s Sales Training Academy, one of The Nestlé Centre of Excellence’s programmes, is graduating its first batch of Saudi trainees in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 17, 2012. The Nestlé Centre of Excellence is designed to attract, develop and retain young Saudi graduates with the objective to offer career opportunities. The establishment of a sustainable training centre is part of the company’s commitment to create shared value – value for the business and value for the society in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The purpose of the centre is to assist young Saudi graduates to bridge the gap between the academic curriculum and the expectations of a multinational company. After completion of the programme, the graduates will be prepared to enter the Saudi workforce equipped with the skills necessary to take up a commercial career.
Nestlé Saudi Arabia Country Manager Roger Meguerdichian said that the Training Academy programme was designed to build capabilities of the Saudi workforce and to add diversification to the economy by developing skilled people with the best of local and global knowledge. He added that the Nestlé Centre of Excellence programs emphasized the company’s commitment towards creating employment opportunities for Saudi graduates whether at Nestlé or outside.
Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO of Nestle Middle East, stated: “We strongly believe that for a company to be successful over the long term, it must create value for both – for business and society. Creating Shared Value is therefore Nestlé’s fundamental way of doing business. The Nestlé Centre of Excellence is enriching the Saudi talent pool and at the same time developing young Saudis in both sales and nutrition that might become candidates for Nestlé employment in the future.”
The first training programme started with twenty seven trainees of whom fifteen will be graduating. The trainees selected were two from the Western Region, one from the Eastern Region and twenty four from the Central Region. More than 50%, eight of the fifteen graduates, will be offered employment at Nestlé in newly created sales positions.