Adopting water efficiency and conservation programs: conditions and pathways

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In a strategic move aimed at institutionalizing the water sector and enhancing the efficiency of its workforce, the National Center for Water Efficiency and Conservation (Ma'i) a new regulatory framework for accrediting training programs and institutions in the field of water efficiency and conservation. This step aims to regulate non-qualifying training programs and ensure their quality in accordance with national standards.

The context of sustainability and Vision 2030

This decision comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is intensifying its efforts to achieve water security and environmental sustainability as part of its Vision 2030 . Water resource management is a major challenge in the region, making it imperative to train specialized national personnel capable of implementing the latest technologies for water conservation, leak detection, and managing water waste in the urban, industrial, and agricultural sectors.

The new regulation seeks to bridge the gap in the labor market by providing accredited training programs that produce qualified professionals to conduct water audits and design efficiency solutions, which directly contributes to reducing national water consumption and raising the operational efficiency of facilities.

Scope of application and training paths

The regulations stipulate in their initial articles that the center is the sole entity authorized to grant accreditation, and its provisions apply to all licensed training providers wishing to offer courses in this field. The regulations also outline three main tracks for training programs:

Water auditing: This includes urban, agricultural, and industrial facilities.
Transport and distribution networks: to focus on the efficiency of water infrastructure.
Designing and implementing solutions: This involves creating and implementing solutions for efficiency and rationalizing consumption.

18 requirements to ensure quality

To ensure high-quality training outcomes, the regulations set strict requirements, most notably:

Obtaining valid regulatory licenses.
Provide a detailed description of the program's content, objectives, and intended learning outcomes.
Preparing a feasibility study that proves the labor market's need for the proposed program.
Providing qualified trainers with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and documented work experience.
Having an electronic system to manage trainee data and results and linking it to the center's platform.
Explaining the mechanism for measuring the impact of training and the assessment tools used.

Monitoring and compliance mechanism

The regulations did not merely set conditions; they also outlined a roadmap for oversight, subjecting participating entities to field visits by specialized evaluation teams to verify compliance with standards. Furthermore, training providers are obligated to address beneficiary complaints within 15 working days and submit periodic reports to the center.

In the event of violations, the regulations granted the center broad powers ranging from warning to suspending or canceling accreditation, with the cancellation of accreditation being prohibited from reapplying for a period of one year, in order to ensure serious adherence to standards and to protect the rights of trainees.