Women Development Programme

Objective

To establish a dedicated Women Development Programme to help strengthen women’s professional and leadership skills, unlock their potential and enhance organizational effectiveness.

Overview and Main Activities

The Women Development Programme (WDP) is committed to the development, progress and growth of working women in Saudi Aramco. Workshops, classes and events support the company’s strategic intent and objectives by focusing on the following areas: women’s career development, gender diversity and outreach initiatives with the education sector and community.

Women Development Programme initiatives:

1. Women in Business (WiB) is a three-day workshop that helps female employees gain success in the corporate workplace by providing them with the motivation and tools to excel in their professions.
2. Women in Leadership (WiL) is a six-day workshop that educates women leaders at Saudi Aramco in two fundamental areas: self-management and people management.
3. The Leadership Coaching Programme provides a one-on-one intensive dive into each participant’s development profile following the WiL course. Coaches discuss strengths and area for development with each participant individually.
4. The Women in the Workforce Annual Forum is a one-day event with the objective to establish an inspiring platform for women in the workforce to generate actionable insights, celebrate successes and recognize enablers.
5. Diversity training embeds diversity training workshops into Saudi Aramco’s HR processes, as well as in training and development programmes.
6. Business collaboration promotes women’s development and professional growth among the female population of Saudi Aramco’s joint ventures, domestic subsidiaries and affiliates, and some governmental entities, e.g. the Chamber of Commerce.
7. The Female University Outreach Programme bridges the gap between the academic world and the actual work environment through the established relationship with women’s universities in Saudi Arabia. The programme supports and empowers students to meet industry and employment requirements.
8. The STEM Initiative inspires future generations of young women to pursue careers in areas not traditionally chosen, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This initiative targets middle-school female students and provides them with challenging learning experiences.
9. Additional initiatives such as peer learning circles and learning seminars create a venue for women to learn and grow together, to form support peer groups as well as to increase networking opportunities.

Success Factors and Challenges

Most critical success factors:

• Corporate management sponsorship and support
• Collaboration from subject matter experts and female role models
• Strategic alignment of the initiative with organizational priorities

Main challenges:

• Women not perceived as strategic partners in such male-dominated sectors as the oil and gas industry
• Relative inexperience of many females in working in a male-dominated workplace
• Necessity of customizing diversity-related materials to fit the unique societal norms and expectations

Replicability and Scalability

How easily could other organizations implement this initiative?

Easy: Given the appropriate resources, these programmes, although varied and far-reaching, could be implemented in other organizations. The customization of materials to fit local needs can be accomplished by facilitators with in-country experience and appropriate sensitivity.

How easily can this initiative be expanded to include a larger number of participants?

Easy: Saudi Aramco expects to expand this initiative in the coming years by increasing the number of sessions for various programmes.

About the Organization

Website: www.saudiaramco.com
Sector: Oil and Gas
Size (number of employees): 50,000 – 100,000
Headquarters: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

For Further Engagement

Contact name: Lamya O. Tuwaijri
Contact position: Division Head
Email: [email protected]