GQA AUDITS SAUDI ARABIA CENTRES

GQA’s work in the chemical, pharmaceutical, engineering and petrochemical industries goes from strength to strength. Part of this success lies in its rigorous approach to ensuring the compliance of its centres. The resulting high standards mean that GQA can continue to provide a first-rate service to those wishing to upskill or enter the sector.

GQA has two centres in Saudi Arabia, and Simon Smith, EQA and Technical Officer, has just returned from auditing them. Simon comments:

“My visit to Saudi started in Dammam, which was the first of two centres, the second being in Khafji in the north. Each centre has a significant number of candidates going through their polytechnic, and with portfolios and work pieces being presented / sampled, it was a great introduction to their activities. The thing that I was most encouraged about, apart from the outstanding quality of teaching and facilities, was the drive to recruit women. It really was amazing to see this.

“The vision for Saudi Arabia 2030 is to stick to a strategic framework in order to reduce the country’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism. So all in all, it was a very positive trip, although I have to admit to us running out of petrol at one point while crossing the desert. Yes, we’d managed to run dry in Saudi Arabia – one of the world’s foremost exporters of petroleum!”

GQA offers a total of eleven qualifications specific to this industry, some of which include those associated with bulk liquid operations, business improvement, process safety, support services and chemical processing.