Some students huddled together at tables, debating their solutions; others were taping ideas to a brainstorming board or presenting their ideas on the energy transition. All of them were demonstrating Saudi Vision 2030 in action.

The students were among more than 150 high school participants in the three-day STEM Future GEneration Camp, hosted by GE in partnership with Saudi nonprofit Mawhiba.

Held in Dammam on the GE Manufacturing & Technology Center (GEMTEC) campus, participants worked in teams to find innovative solutions to challenges around the energy transition by tapping into their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

A key element of Saudi Vision 2030 is ensuring young people in the Kingdom receive the training and education to succeed in the 21^st century global workforce. This is one of eight enablers within the Thriving Economy pillar that defines Vision 2030.

Success in empowering these young people is crucial, given that Saudis under the age of 35 represent two-thirds of the Kingdom’s total population.

With GE employee volunteers and Mawhiba facilitators providing information and support, the young women and men conducted analysis before making recommendations on the mix of energy sources required to help the Kingdom move toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2060.

“GE supports Saudi Vision 2030 across all its operations in the Kingdom, especially through our many localization activities, including youth-focused events such as this one,” said Hisham Al Bahkali, President and CEO of GE Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

At the end of each day, the student-developed solutions were presented to a panel of judges that included senior GE executives from across industries. Winning submissions demonstrated an understanding of the scientific issues, and high-quality analysis and argumentation for their innovative solutions.

The student participants were nominated by Mawhiba to attend and came from schools across the Kingdom. Members of the winning team have the opportunity to receive mentorship and career development opportunities from GE and Mawhiba. All participants received certificates of accomplishment.

“By helping to build Saudi talent and encourage more young people to pursue STEM courses and careers, GE is helping to foster the most important resource the Kingdom has to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030,” Al Bahkali added.

The STEM Future GEneration Camp, which was held November 28-30, provided ample opportunities for students to interact with and receive mentoring from senior GE leadership, as well as from GE engineers, technicians, and researchers.

In addition to the experience gained from the discussions and thinking around the energy transition, students also had the opportunity to tour the GEMTEC gas turbine service and repair workshop, where they saw Saudi technicians and engineers applying their skills and putting their STEM education into action.

Read more here about GE employees supporting youth development in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan region.