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The contract was inked at GSO headquarters in the Saudi capital by Sami Al Buraidi, director of the GCC Standardization Training Center, and Dr. Mohammed Al Khayri, executive director of Masar, during a ceremony overseen by GSO President Eng. Jabor Mohammed Al Naimi. This step launches the practical phase of the accreditation process for the training facility, the organization reported. The pact forms part of wider efforts to raise standards in professional development across standardization and quality disciplines throughout the GCC.
According to the announcement, the agreement highlights the GSO’s focus on institutional excellence in training along with the creation of a sustainable regional system that prepares specialists in line with international benchmarks. It seeks to equip professionals more effectively in fields critical to quality infrastructure. The resulting accreditation is expected to enhance the center’s capacity as a platform for knowledge exchange and expertise development among the bloc’s member states.
The GCC Standardization Organization, established in 2001 with headquarters in Riyadh, works to unify standardization activities across member states and Yemen to foster intra-GCC trade, safeguard consumers, protect the environment and strengthen the regional economy, its official website states.[[1]](https://www.gso.org.sa/en/training/gcc-standardization-training-center/) The body coordinates with national standardization entities in each country to implement adopted standards that support economic integration and competitiveness. Its activities have grown to encompass extensive training and capacity-building components since operations began in 2004.
As the first facility of its type in the region, the GCC Standardization Training Center delivers tailored programs for personnel in national standardization bodies and others engaged in related fields, materials on the GSO website indicate. Courses emphasize career growth, skill optimization and performance improvement at individual, team and institutional levels through instruction by global experts. Institutional accreditation through Masar will confirm that these offerings adhere to stringent quality thresholds.
Masar, the National Center for Training Evaluation and Accreditation operating under Saudi Arabia’s Education and Training Evaluation Commission, aims to elevate training quality so that programs better match labor market requirements and national aspirations, ETEC records show.[[2]](https://www.etec.gov.sa/en/centers/nctea) The entity establishes evaluation criteria and accredits providers of vocational and professional instruction inside the kingdom. Its engagement with the GSO extends this framework to a collaborative GCC-level initiative for the first time.
The collaboration aligns with the GSO’s ongoing work to advance quality infrastructure and deeper integration across the Gulf, the official announcement stated. Securing accreditation positions the training center to expand its contributions to professional development that underpins broader economic objectives. Participants at the signing voiced expectations that the process will produce competencies fully consistent with prevailing global standards.
