In late June, summer vacation had just begun for Kuwaiti high school students, but for more than 100 11th and 12th graders, their learning continued in full swing, in part through a visit to the GE Kuwait Technology Center (GEKTC).

The visit came on the final day of a weeklong program organized by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences as one of its efforts to encourage Kuwaiti youth to pursue education and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The five-day program, part of the Arizona-based Chief Technology Officers initiative, was supported by GE, US-based SciTech Institute, and Kuwait University.

Students from high schools across Kuwait spent the week visiting locations in the country and participating in activities focused on building awareness and interest in STEM fields.

At GEKTC, the students toured the center, including the tooling center bays where technicians equip huge shipping containers with parts and complex machinery used to maintain and repair gas turbines and generators around the world.

The students also visited the center’s R&D testing labs, where engineers conduct analysis, oil and fuel testing, and material assessments, as well as provide monitoring and diagnostics for gas turbines operating in Kuwait, the region, and beyond.

“The visit was eye opening for the students, many of whom had no idea of the huge variety of exciting roles and professions possible with an engineering degree or with the many other degrees in STEM fields,” said Amani Ramadhan, Lead Education Specialist at GEKTC.

“In speaking with the technicians and engineers at the center, the students saw how engaged the GE teams are in their work and excited by the impact they have, whether in providing electricity, supporting doctors and hospitals in delivering healthcare, or enabling air travel and commerce,” she said.

In addition to walking through the facility, which primarily serves GE Gas Power and its customers and has a large training facility with full-size gas turbines and generators, the students participated in sessions where they learned about GE Gas Power turbines, and other GE businesses, including GE Healthcare and GE Aviation.

These sessions further expanded the students’ understandings of what types of careers are available in the important fields of energy, healthcare, and aviation.

The visit to GEKTC is just the latest example of GE Gas Power’s support to building STEM talent in the country. Earlier this year, the center hosted a training day for 30 aspiring electrical engineering students from the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK).

Read more here about GE Gas Power’s work in Kuwait and across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey.