Honoring A class of 24 High Achievers

Published Sunday, November 19, 2006

A class of 24 high achievers was honored recently for successful completion of an on-going human resources development certificate program sponsored by the Arabian Society for Human Resource Management (ASHRM) in partnership with the University of Minnesota, bringing to almost 100 the number of men and women who have earned graduate degree credits through this unique program.

Over the past 20 months the new graduates devoted most of their after-work time to meeting the demands of the Human Resources Development (HRD) Certificate Program. They attended about 160 hours of weekend classes, completed four courses and an internship project, and earned 14 credits which may be applied toward a master’s degree in human resource development at the University of Minnesota.

The opening speaker at the graduation ceremony, Essam Tawfiq, director of the Personnel Department and president of ASHRM, shared his vision of a future in which ASHRM is “working with the strongest HR societies around the world, bringing knowledge about human resource management and development to our society and the region.”

“We (ASHRM) have a great role in achieving the maximum utilization of the wealth of our area, the human resources,” Tawfiq said, adding that he hoped the new graduates “will be working” with ASHRM to achieve that goal.

Nabeel A. Al-Jama’, general manager of T&CD, promised continued “full support” for the HRD program. “We’re happy to do all this because of the value we attach to this program, not only for the participants, but also for organizations and the company as a whole.”

The audience for the Nov. 18 graduation ceremony at the Ad Diwan Building included members of senior management, department and division heads, plus family and friends of the graduates. Hamed Al-Saadoun, Vice President ER&T and Chairman of ASHRM’s Board of Trustees handed the diplomas to the graduates.

The self-development program is presented by ASHRM in collaboration with the University of Minnesota-St. Paul. Its aim is to improve business performance at individual, team and organizational levels. The program was launched in 1999, due largely to the efforts of Dr. Ahmad Ajarimah in Training and Career Development (T&CD), and Prof. Gary N. McLean of the University of Minnesota.

“It took a vision—a vision which the two of us shared, a vision that was followed up by action—to allow this program to become a reality,” Dr. McLean, the program coordinator, recalled.  “The vision wasn’t just about having a program here in Saudi Arabia. It was about changing people’s lives and changing the organizations in which people work,” he said.

McLean has kept in touch with many past graduates of the seven-year-old program. “I’ve heard success story after success story about how their lives have been changed, about how they have carried a vision into their personal and community lives. Lives are different because of this program, and for that I am very grateful.”

The certificate program is open to anyone—Saudi Aramco employee or not—who has a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university, a high level of English language competence, and a commitment to completing the requirements.

The newest group of graduates—or cohorts as they are called in the program—included six women and employees from several business lines, including Exploration and Producing, Gas Operations, Finance, and Personnel in addition to T&CD.  It also included 3 employees from Giant Stores, Saudi Arabia Texaco, and Al-Majdoui Dairy Company.

Most of the 24 graduates have expressed their interest in continuing their efforts to earn their master’s degree in HRD which is currently offered by the University of Minnesota under the same partnership with ASHRM.  Currently there is one group of 23 participants who are close to completing all the requirements for the master’s degree.  They are expected to graduate in May 2007.