RCU’s International Scholarship Program Hones Leadership Skills of Saudi Students

Batches of students accepted into RCU's scholarship program. Asharq Al-Awsat
Batches of students accepted into RCU's scholarship program. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT

RCU’s International Scholarship Program Hones Leadership Skills of Saudi Students

Batches of students accepted into RCU's scholarship program. Asharq Al-Awsat
Batches of students accepted into RCU's scholarship program. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Al Ula (RCU) has designed its international scholarship program as a platform for Saudi students to hone their skills in leadership and innovation to fit future development plans for the north-western governorate.

This is in keep with the national plan for transformation, Kingdom Vision 2030, which places the historical governorate on the global tourism map.

The program focuses on laying the foundations for responsible comprehensive development centered around human infrastructure.

Since its launch, the program offered full international scholarships for Saudi students in a number of fields including tourism, agriculture, archeology and history. All of which falls under RCU’s plans to develop the historical governorate in the Kingdom and to raise a specialized generation.

The program contributes to building a knowledgeable society with the necessary skills and abilities, in line with RCU’s strategic objectives.

Students will receive a high-quality education and unique experiences that will make them valuable assets in the transformation and revitalization of the region. The program will enable the youth of Al Ula to get academic and professional training and enhance their skills as the future leaders of Al Ula.

“RCU’s efforts focus on developing the governorate as one of the most important archaeological and cultural areas in Saudi Arabia, pointing out that this development program aims to develop the national talents and cadres for sons and daughters of Al Ula, and give them the opportunity to develop their technical and leadership skills to participate in the future development movement of the governorate,” RCU’s Scholarship Program Director Mohammed al-Shukrah said.

Labeling it a cornerstone for developing modern societies, Al-Shukrah underlined that RCU’s vision for sustainable development is anchored by the training of youth leadership and national cadres.

“When I first read about RCU’s international scholarship program, I didn’t believe I would be accepted. But when I took the interview, I became sure that the program was unlike anything else and that it is really focused on honing human capacities,” Shawq Lafi Marzouq al-Balawi, an international scholarship student sponsored by RCU said.

Al-Balawi is currently undergoing the second phase of the program and her studies are focused on tourism and hospitality.

RCU has launched the second phase of its scholarship program, which gives successful applicants the opportunity to pursue degrees at prestigious universities and academic institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

This comes as part of RCU’s commitment to working with the local community to build their capabilities and develop the region sustainably.

The students will also learn the languages of their host countries. The scholarship program is strategically built to provide students with the skills, expertise, specialties and tools that the labor market will need in the future.

Upon their return to Al Ula, RCU aims for them to contribute to shape the future of the region.

The program has been designed to span up to five years, ensuring the development of new and vibrant sectors of the local economy for the students to take a part in the transformation once they receive their training, education and fruitful experiences.



Prince William Takes Early-Morning Nature Walk Near South Africa’s Table Mountain

 Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)
Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)
TT

Prince William Takes Early-Morning Nature Walk Near South Africa’s Table Mountain

 Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)
Prince William, Prince of Wales talks to Megan Taplin, Park Manager for Table Mountain National Park during his visit at Signal Hill on November 05, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)

Prince William went on an early-morning nature walk near South Africa's Table Mountain on Tuesday to promote the work of conservation rangers in a unique urban national park.

The Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne met with some of the rangers who guard the Table Mountain National Park, an 85-square-mile (220-square kilometer) area that overlooks Cape Town and spills into the city's suburbs in some areas.

William didn't go to the top of the famous flat-topped mountain, instead strolling through nature trails on Signal Hill, a foothill that sits by the ocean's edge.

The prince was accompanied on the walk by Megan Taplin, the park manager, and Robert Irwin, an Australian conservationist. William met with rangers, park firefighters and members of a K-9 dog unit.

“He got to learn about what they do on a daily basis and what challenges they face,” Taplin said. “We also spoke a lot about ranger wellness and how that's really important that rangers are supported, that their families are supported, because they are doing quite dangerous work and difficult work.”

William is in South Africa to promote his annual Earthshot Prize, which awards $1.2 million in grants to five entrepreneurs or organizations for innovative ideas that help the environment and combat climate change. William set up the Earthshot Prize in 2020 through his Royal Foundation and the awards ceremony will be held in Cape Town — the first time it's been in Africa — on Wednesday night.

The prince's four-day visit is a kind of environmental roadshow and is heavily focused on climate and conservation, though he did break away from those issues on his first day in Cape Town on Monday to attend a rugby practice at a local high school and play a little of South Africa's favorite sport with some of the kids.

William was also due to meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the president's Cape Town residence on Tuesday.

William has a range of engagements planned in South Africa's second-biggest city, including meetings with young environmentalists, attending a wildlife summit, visiting a botanical garden and spending time at a sea rescue institute and with a Cape Town fishing community.

William last visited Africa in 2018 but he has a strong connection to the continent. He traveled there as a boy after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a Paris car crash in 1997. He and his wife, Kate, got engaged at a wildlife conservancy in Kenya in 2010. And he said he came up with the idea for the Earthshot awards while in Namibia in 2018.

Before the visit, William said that Africa has always had “a special place in my heart.” William's brother Prince Harry visited South Africa and neighboring Lesotho last month for a charity he set up in southern Africa.

William's wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis did not travel to South Africa. Kate only recently returned to some public duties after completing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.