Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry, announces that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Al Yamamah University to provide travel technology that will help prepare Saudi nationals for careers in the travel trade.

Recognizing the importance of education and skills development within Saudi Arabia’s growing travel industry, Travelport is working with the institution to equip its students with global distribution system (GDS) technology, including the Galileo reservation system widely-used by travel agencies in the Kingdom.

Learning important technology skills required for employment within the travel trade, students enrolled in the University’s IT and travel programme will receive specialized instruction by a certified Galileo trainer, including hands-on training in the diverse functionality of the platform.

Through the development of these important technology skills, Travelport believes that the next generation of Saudi nationals can enhance their employability within the Kingdom’s evolving travel industry, which is leveraging the latest GDS technologies to create operational efficiency and better serve customers.

“Travelport is committed to skills development and employment among Saudi nationals and is proud to be partnering with Al Yamamah to provide its students with the tools to succeed,” said Faris Azzee, Travelport’s general manager for Saudi Arabia.  “GDS technology is vital to a travel agency’s operations, therefore it is important that students are up-to-speed on the latest systems so that they can enter the industry seamlessly and excel in their new careers,” he added.

With one of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in the world, providing employment opportunities for youth has become a top priority within Saudi Arabia, with new initiatives being introduced by the government to help integrate the Kingdom’s young citizens into the labour force.

“The travel industry is set to grow significantly over the next few years and requires qualified people to fuel its growth,” said Mr. Abdulmalik Alesnani, vice-president for administrative affairs at Al Yamamah University. “Knowledge of global distribution systems is important for anyone interested in working in the travel industry today, therefore we are delighted to be joining forces with Travelport to offer our students such a valuable skill set.”

One of the world’s leading providers of global distribution systems (GDS), Travelport has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia that includes state-of-the art training centers in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam and a round-the-clock Galileo GDS service and support structure for KSA travel agents.