[MasterGunner01]

In 1985, I was on my way to Europe on vacation to the Netherlands and the UK. I shared the three seats on the B747 with a sports writer and a C-130 maintenance instructor from Lockheed. The Lockheed guy recounted that he was supposed to teach six Saudis how to maintain the C-130 under a contract between Saudis and Lockheed.

The first day of class, six Saudis showed up. The second day it was five — No. 6 was never seen again.

Attendance in class was spotty at best. No. 4 and 5 disappeared during week two. No. 3 would show up about one-third of the time and No. 2 seemed to come on the days No. 3 was off. No. 1 got showed up enough to absorb half the course.

A week before graduation was supposed to happen, the Lockheed instructor was asked how many would graduate to be certified as C-130 mechanics. The answer was none. Asked why, he responded “because the either weren't there or just took off and never came back.”

The Saudis eventually subcontracted the C-130 maintenance to the Pakistanis.

[DJ Elliott]

It hasn’t changed since.

Saudi has a small population to begin with.
The number willing to actually work is a very small minority of that.