Marriott International Gears Up For The Third Year Of Tahseen In Saudi Arabia

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 26 February, 2020 – Marriott International recently celebrated its latest group of Tahseen graduates and announced the third iteration of the training program, which aims to springboard local Saudi talent into leadership roles within the hospitality industry. This announcement follows the success of the Tahseen class of 2019 in KSA which saw 37 graduates – 33 Saudi nationals and 4 Bahrain nationals – step into management positions within Marriott International properties.

The Tahseen program was developed in 2017 in partnership with Cornell University to specifically focus on fast tracking the next generation of local hospitality leaders from Saudi Arabia. The 12-month program focuses on applying practical skills across all departments, as well as developing an in depth understanding of leadership skills.  The training is led by teams from Marriott international’s participating hotels with the goal of accelerating candidates into leadership roles. Tahseen Saudi Arabia has delivered results - the first year of graduates stepped into managerial positions in 2018 and over 30% received an additional promotion within the first twelve months at their respective properties. 

With the success of Tahseen in Saudi Arabia, the program rolled out across other MEA markets, including Egypt in 2018 and the UAE and Bahrain last year. Tahseen Egypt was developed in partnership with Helwan University and Professional Development Foundation (PDF) and received the Ministry of Higher Education’s approval, earning a bachelor’s degree accreditation in 2019. To date, Tahseen has enrolled a total of 282 students across the specified regions.

Francisca Martinez, Chief HR Officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International said, “Marriott International has a long history of investing in programs that help young people develop skills that are critical in today’s dynamic working environment. Within two years of the program launch, Tahseen has successfully placed more than 65 Saudi and Bahrain nationals in managerial roles. We are delighted to see over 50 new Tahseen candidates join the third year of the program and we look forward to attracting more talented and ambitious professionals to become the next generation of hospitality leaders in Saudi Arabia.”

In line with Marriott International’s growth strategy for the Kingdom and expected pipeline of 6,000 new jobs in the next five years, Tahseen will continue to provide career opportunities for Saudi nationals in the hospitality industry.

Tahseen will also support the country’s growing travel sector as the hospitality industry was identified last year by the KSA Ministry of Labor as a key sector for Saudization to encourage greater employment amongst locals and support and sustain the increase of tourism.

With the best track record globally for hospitality education, Cornell University offers all Tahseen candidates first-hand experience through its e-learning platforms and a university-led development program tailored specifically for the program.Tahseen is a program that falls under Marriott International’s Sustainability and Social Impact Platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, which guides how the company makes a positive and sustainable impact wherever it does business. F

rom empowerment opportunities to sustainable hotel development, the platform is designed to foster business growth while balancing the needs of associates, customers, owners, the environment and communities.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 7,300 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 134 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy™, its highly-awarded travel program with 141 million members globally. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.