Abstract

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has heavily relied on a foreign workforce. They have also created a complex government system that employs low or semi-skilled Saudi Nationals. Consequently, the economy of Saudi Arabia has a significant shortage of skilled indigenous workers. Vision 2030, published in 2016 by the Saudi Government, describes the transformational economic plans required for the country's sustainable development without oil. Within this context, vocational education and training colleges are vital in providing demand-led labour, quickly reducing over-reliance on foreign workers. Within an increasingly tighter fiscal climate, it is axiomatic that vocational colleges operate at optimum efficiency and effectiveness in Saudi Arabia. An ERP system is considered an essential tool that "provides an organisation with seamless integration of all information flows through the various business functions". An optimal ERP system is beneficial in equipping organisations to operate at higher efficiency and effectiveness levels by integrating information flows across the entire organisation. 
 
This research aims to examine the question, "What is the ERP system solution suitable for vocational colleges in Saudi Arabia that support them to operate at greater efficiency and effectiveness levels".  By using a problem-solving
methodology, namely, Design Science Research (DSR), I designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated an ERP system within the context of vocational education in Saudi Arabia. To provide clarity to academics and practitioners, I
have attempted to define the term ERP using a continuum incorporating ERP characteristics. I have adopted various tools and criteria for evaluating the artefact from both the organisation's and users' perspectives. The research findings
revealed that the artefact functionality was 91% suitable from the organisation's perspective and had a global mean score of 55.07 for user satisfaction. I have also discussed the research impact, originality, limitations, and future research
considerations.