Accor Middle East, one of the major hospitality groups, has organized its annual CSR meeting to promote the actions put in place by the group’s 15 hotels in the Kingdom (Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis). 

Salah Oumouden, VP, Accor KSA & Egypt, emphasized that Accor as a leading hospitality group has, in each country that it operates, a responsibility toward local communities. He also mentioned that in Saudi Arabia, there is a dedicated corporate social responsibility (CSR) coordinator in every hotel responsible to organize events aiming to support the local community. 
Some of these initiatives were dedicated to sponsoring orphans, blood donations or agreements with local schools to promote sustainable development initiatives. The event was also an opportunity to celebrate the midterm graduation of the Accor Saudi Management Training Program, which is exclusively dedicated to Saudi nationals. 
Amar Belgat, training and HR project manager at Accor KSA, said: “The Saudi Management Training Program was an initiative launched and endorsed in collaboration with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). This program is of great importance to us, since we encourage Saudi nationals to join the hospitality industry and look forward to overseeing their career development, in view of their integration in our management team in the future.”
The Accor Saudi Management Training Program, which has duration of 15 months, includes a full academic term, completed by practical training. The program was launched in November 2013 and will be completed by February 2015.
The Accor Saudi Management Training Program is divided into two stages: The first stage targeting the development of fundamental skills related to hospitality field and a second stage, focusing on acquiring essential management capabilities. The aim for the trainees is to climb the corporate ladder through the development of their operational and managerial skills.