Saudi Water Academy

The Saudi Water Academy (SWA) is an educational institution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offering training services for fresh graduates and employees in engineering, technology, and technical domains. It is affiliated with the Saudi Water Authority. The academy allows trainees from inside and outside the Kingdom to join its programs and courses.

The establishment of the Saudi Water Academy dates back to 1982 when the Saudi Water Authority (previously Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC)) opened two training centers in Jeddah and al-Jubayl Governorates to train and qualify national cadres. The two centers continued to operate independently until they were merged into one center in al-Jubayl Governorate in 1987. In 2020, the Saudi Water Academy was inaugurated under its current name and updated brand identity. In 2022, the academy launched a new identity and strategy to train competencies with specialized programs in the desalination industry and develop its technologies.

The Saudi Water Academy aims to achieve several objectives, including developing training plans to train and qualify Saudi competencies for the labor market; developing the Saudi Water Authority staff across all areas; coordinating between the SWA and training/instruction providers, whether governmental or private; classifying Saudi trainers and equipping them with specialized certificates; and qualifying newly graduates in engineering, technical, and operational domains.

The Saudi Water Academy conducts a multitude of training programs, such as qualification programs for engineers, dedicated to university graduates with a bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent; qualification programs for operators and technicians for graduates of technical and industrial colleges with diploma degrees; and development programs for workers in desalination plants, including operation and maintenance of water desalination and electrical power plants, computer science and application, English language learning, fire extinguishing, security, and environment. In addition to the Knowledge Content Leadership Program in the field of reverse osmosis and advanced plant design, which discusses the latest advanced technologies in the design of desalination systems, and the green program for sustainability and the environment, offering specialized environmental training courses.

In 2020, the Saudi Water Academy was accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) – an internationally accepted attestation standard for institutional excellence in training and educational programs. Credits earned by enrollees in SWA programs are valid at universities and vocational colleges worldwide.

The Saudi Water Academy expanded its partnerships with local and international entities, including government entities such as the Ministry of Defense, Royal Saudi Naval Forces, the Saudi Council of Engineers, and the Saudi Irrigation Organization. It also formed partnerships with private entities, namely Saudi Aramco, the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), and the British center, Guilds & City.