Final ruling: Technical college graduates are classified as engineers without distinction

In a significant legal move that reshapes the professional landscape in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Administrative Court of Appeal at the Board of Grievances a final and enforceable ruling that champions a wide segment of national talents. The ruling obliges the competent authorities to classify holders of bachelor’s degrees from technical colleges under the explicit title of “engineer,” stripped of any additional descriptions such as “technician” or other sub-classifications that reduced their job privileges.

Details of the ruling and an end to the ongoing controversy

This ruling brings to a close years of ongoing debate and claims regarding the professional disparities between graduates of technical programs and their counterparts from academic universities. The court overturned previous decisions that insisted on adding discriminatory labels to job titles, affirming that complete equality in job titles is the inherent right of these graduates, based on equal opportunities and their academic qualifications.

The judicial department explained in the reasoning of its precise ruling that the system for practicing engineering professions, despite its modern organization of the sector, does not cancel or invalidate previous royal decrees, specifically the royal decree issued in 1409 AH, which clearly stipulated, without any room for interpretation, the equality of graduates of technical colleges with graduates of university engineering colleges in all rights, privileges and job titles.

Historical background and royal decree

The roots of this issue go back decades, when graduates with technical bachelor's degrees faced challenges in professional classification with some organizations. This led to a gap in career paths and salaries compared to academic engineers, even though modern technical programs rely on intensive applied and scientific curricula that are comparable to, and sometimes even surpass, their academic counterparts in practical aspects. The court's reliance on the old royal decree affirmed the stability of legal positions and that rights acquired under higher decrees do not lapse due to the passage of time or changes in lower-level implementing regulations.

The implications of the decision on the labor market and Vision 2030

This ruling is expected to have a broad and positive impact on the Saudi labor market, as it aligns perfectly with the goals of Vision 2030, which places great emphasis on technical and vocational education and training. This fairness contributes to:

• Enhancing attractiveness: Encouraging young Saudis to enroll in technical colleges without fear of future job discrimination.
• Bridging the gap: Providing qualified national engineering personnel to meet the needs of the major projects taking place in the Kingdom.
• Job fairness: Ensuring that competent individuals receive the material and moral recognition they deserve based on their skills and qualifications, not solely on the basis of their place of graduation.

The court concluded its ruling by emphasizing that any party’s insistence on creating differences in titles is a clear violation of the principle of justice and equality guaranteed by the state’s regulations, stressing the need to adopt the “engineer” classification immediately to strengthen the validity of the proper application of the regulations.