UK Minister of State for Skills and Member of the House of Lords, Baroness Jacqui Smith, visited the Education and Training Evaluation Commission in Saudi Arabia on Friday, where she praised the Kingdom's approach to ensuring and regulating the quality of education and training. During her visit, she met with the commission’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Khalid Al-Sabti, and received a briefing on the Saudi model, including the commission’s innovative Education and Training Status Room.
Baroness Smith highlighted the commission’s achievements in advancing the use of data to support education and training quality, emphasizing how the system transforms vast amounts of data into actionable indicators and information. She noted that this capability facilitates sustainable improvement and enables evidence-based decision-making across the education sector. According to Smith, the true value of data goes beyond simply measuring performance levels; it also plays a critical role in underpinning improvement efforts and helping educational institutions identify their strengths and areas for development.
Describing the commission’s operations as “exceptionally impressive,” the UK minister underscored the potential benefits of closer collaboration between Saudi Arabia and the UK in the fields of education, skills development, and quality assurance. She stressed the importance of fostering cooperation between institutions in both countries to exchange expertise and experiences, enhance skillsets, and better meet labor market demands and the needs of the evolving economy.
During her visit, Baroness Smith was introduced to the Education and Training Status Room’s advanced platform, which enables comprehensive review and analysis of educational and training data by connecting related indicators. This platform provides a holistic understanding of the education system, supports more informed evaluation processes, and contributes to improved educational outcomes. She further suggested that the UK education system could gain from the commission’s effective and precise use of data in managing education quality.
The visit reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen educational ties and share best practices between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom as both nations seek to enhance their workforce readiness and educational frameworks amid shifting global economic landscapes.