Bechtel in new initiative to promote construction jobs for women in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Women Engineering Society (SWES) members with the Saudi Arabian Bechtel Company (SABCO) team at Bechtel’s recently opened regional headquarters in Riyadh. (Image: Bechtel)

US-based engineering and construction firm Bechtel has launched a new partnership with Saudi Women Engineers Society (SWES) to promote construction careers for women in Saudi Arabia.

Bechtel said it would support not-for-profit SWES with professional development, skills enhancement, and career advancement opportunities for Saudi national women engineers.

It said the new partnership was in support of Saudi’s Vision 2030 goal to empower women in the region by increasing career opportunities, including development and training, for women in the workforce.

Together, Bechtel and SWES will provide training and development programs, organize networking and speaking opportunities, and match SWES members with Bechtel mentors from across its various projects. SWES will also collaborate with Women@Bechtel Saudi Arabia, one of Bechtel’s Business Resource Groups which encourages women to join and then stay at Bechtel.

Abdul-Rahman Al-Ghabban, president of Saudi Arabian Bechtel Company (SABCO) and regional manager for the Middle East Region at Bechtel said, “Bringing more diverse talent into the engineering and STEM fields in Saudi Arabia is crucial to delivering on Vision 2030’s goals.

“Bechtel is partnering with SWES with the goal of inspiring more women in Saudi Arabia – and around the world – to pursue engineering careers and to become future leaders in our industry.”

Alshaima Abduallah Alshayeb, founder, and chairperson of SWES added, “We are very excited about the partnership with Bechtel and what it is going to do to support and showcasing the immense talent of Saudi Arabian women engineers.

“Support from our industry partners is instrumental to the personal and professional success of the women and we are looking forward to kickstarting the initiatives throughout the Kingdom.”

Bechtel is heavily involved in the Saudi Arabian construction market and recently announced that it would open a regional HQ in the Kingdom. The company has been taking part in several of Saudi Arabia’s high-profile megaprojects including NEOM, Trojena, Jubail, the Riyadh Metro Project, and New Murabba.

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