Udacity partnered with the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation (Misk) in Saudi Arabia on the Misk Udacity Connect Program to provide young Saudi nationals with the knowledge and skills needed, wrote Arab News.
Shaikha Alsalem, originally from Riyadh, worked in the business stewardship field in data government. But now, she is helping in solving problems using codes.
When Udacity announced its scholarship, she entered their nanodegree program. “We worked on multiple projects, starting with initial analysis in data, machine learning algorithms and how to identity those who are involved in a financial crime,” she said.
After graduating in December last year, her newly-acquired skills helped her career by broadening her perspective about problems and learning how to solve them at work.
Alsalem believes data will be a huge part of the future. “It’s going to play a really big role,” she said. “It will be very helpful, especially as these fields aren’t taught in college, so it’s a new field to everybody.”
The move is a part of the country’s Vision 2030 as it emphasizes citizen satisfaction. “Data provides suggestions where we can improve our services and processes.”
Companies also report that one of the main factors in deciding where to locate is the availability of skilled talent.
Governments are now pressured to provide more jobs, as 30 per cent of the region’s unemployment is found in the public sector.