The initiative will enable apprentices drawn from the Aseer region to train in time-honoured masonry techniques tailored to stone-built heritage and the emerging luxury tourism developments under SD’s “Soudah Peaks” project. SD frames the programme as part of its community-capacity building mandate and economic diversification strategy. The project area — roughly 627 km² and reaching elevations over 3,000 metres — is envisaged as a year-round luxury mountain destination and heritage-tourism hub.
SD’s vocational initiative builds on its earlier launch of an on-the-job learning programme in January, which offers professional and practical skills to youth in the region. That programme is seen as a foundational step in supporting the masonry apprenticeship, which introduces a specialised emphasis on traditional stone craft.
The Wrth institute – previously known as the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts – has carved out a role in promoting Saudi heritage craftsmanship through academic, apprenticeship and short-course tracks. Its new identity under “Wrth” emphasises the visual iconography of traditional arts and signals the institution’s deepening role in heritage and cultural education.
SD’s chief executive, Eng. Saleh Aloraini, emphasises the dual objective: “This programme will focus on developing practical knowledge and skills to enhance the readiness of participants for job opportunities in flourishing industries in the region.” The apprenticeship is thus positioned not only as cultural preservation but also as labour-market empowerment.
The apprenticeship addresses several broader policy imperatives. Under the vision guiding the Kingdom’s growth strategy, tourism is targeted to contribute 10 per cent of GDP and to deliver economic diversification away from oil dependency. Heritage, culture and place-based development feature as central planks in this transformation. SD’s Soudah Peaks destination is expected to contribute over SAR 29 billion to GDP by 2033.
From the heritage-perspective, stone-built architecture and mountainous-settlement craftsmanship in Aseer have under-recognised value. The apprenticeship thereby seeks to support transmission of specialised skills which, in an era of modern construction, risk decline. Observers note that crafting heritage-quality masonry demands multi-year training, mastery of local stone types, and adaptation to terrain and climatic conditions unique to the region.
The scheme may also respond to workforce-quality requirements in SD’s luxury-destination pipeline. As the destination develops hospitality, residential and adventure infrastructure at Soudah, demand for skilled masonry and finishing trades rises. By aligning the apprenticeship with such demand, SD and Wrth aim to deliver both cultural and economic returns.
Critics note that such schemes require careful implementation to ensure apprenticeship quality and sustainability. Ensuring placements, long-term employment pathways and market recognition will be key. Heritage-craft programmes globally have faltered when artisan graduates lack opportunities or when craftsmanship becomes decorative rather than structurally embedded in projects. Monitoring of long-term impact will therefore be essential.
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Saudi Arabia