The logistics industry association Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has partnered with an educational institution in Saudi Arabia to provide professional training for executives, practitioners, and students.

Lombard, Ill.-based CSCMP announced the strategic partnership Nov. 11 with The University of Business and Technology (UBT)'s Executive Education program, located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

UBT Executive Education will now deliver the CSCMP SCPro Certification programs in eight areas: demand planning, supply management and procurement, inventory management, warehousing operations, transportation operations, manufacturing and service operations, customer service operations, and in supply chain management principles.

Saudi students will cover the same content of those certifications as their contemporaries in the U.S., for both in-person and virtual classes, Nichole Mumford, CSCMP's Vice President, Marketing Engagement and Marketing, said in an email. However, UBT will provide instructor instructional support as preparation to take the exams. 

The move extends UBT's recent growth in the department, after introducing an undergraduate program in supply chain management several years ago, and recently adding a master of science (MSc) degree.

"The partnership with the world-class CSCMP is motivated by the huge demand [for] skilled executives and practitioners at all management levels in the fields of supply chain and logistics in Saudi Arabia," UBT CEO Mohanad A. Dahlan said in a release. "Over $34 billion will be invested in this sector in the coming years, and some 10,000 jobs will be created in the Western region alone after the announcement of the biggest logistics zone in the country in Jeddah, expanding over 24 million square feet and set to serve as another world hub."