Under the patronage of His Excellency the UQU President, Prof. Abdullah Bafail, the Institute of Consulting Research and Studies today, Tuesday, held a celebration for obtaining accreditation from the British Institute of Consulting (IC). IC is concerned with the global accreditation of consultants in various disciplines, and it provides many development and professional services.

Due to the necessity of digital transformation, in order to be in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, the President of the University inaugurated the electronic consulting system, which aims to improve the management of advisory services, employ technology in the service of the consultants' environment, and provide an electronic platform and an integrated database. This is in addition to supporting decision-making in the field of consultancy, in order to raise productivity and improve efficiency.

His Excellency honored the recipients of the Umm Al-Qura Oasis for Consultation Award, both the vocational development category and the consultation category. The ceremony included a presentation by the Dean of the Institute, Dr. Ali Al-Sha`iri, on Umm Al-Qura Oasis for Consultation and its future in providing advisory and educational services as well as professional development services, in partnership with the colleges and deanships within the university and the public, private and non-profit sectors.

The institute also honored the male and female advisors who passed the Professional Adviser Program. The program aims to develop a consultancy staff capable of providing consultation with high quality, professionalism and reliability, following international specifications in specific fields of specialization. It also aims to contribute to the Institute of Consulting Research and Studies obtaining international accreditations in the consultancy sector. In addition, the program seeks to achieve sustainable development in the consultancy sector in the Saudi Kingdom, in light of the Saudi Vision 2030.

It is noteworthy that the institute began its journey in the Professional Adviser Program in 2016. The beginner and intermediate levels were held for 67 consultants, who obtained the seventh level certificate, which qualifies them to enter the advanced level and fulfill the requirements of the Professional Adviser Diploma. The institute’s efforts culminated with 42 academic advisers from the university’s academic staff members obtaining membership of the British Consulting Institute.