Be ready with the right skills

Education, in general, has been witnessing several changes. When it comes to higher education, the trend is towards borderless education, where you can see more than one university campus in more than one country. For example, some universities offer a number of programmes where students can study for one year each in the UAE, Singapore and Australia. As a result, students are exposed to more than just their classroom experience, they are exposed to life in general in the city where they go and adapt to different teachers and campuses. More and more universities are following this trend.

As for MOOC's (massive open online courses), it is a blend of online learning. Several academic institutions offer courses and degrees online. This is gaining popularity in graduate studies as people are working and they can receive diplomas or even graduate degrees by studying from a distance. Another trend is that earlier on academic institutions were working independently. Today, they are working with different industries. Experts in the field notice several discussions, collaborations, and communications between educational institutions and various sectors.
For example, the Dubai Science Park is part of the TECOM umbrella and works on the Industrial Strategy of the government.

There are discussions with academic institutions so that they understand DSP's plan, what are the courses, what are the trends that they need to focus on and what are the demands in the market in terms of requirements for which kinds of studies and which kinds of students. This kind of dialogue is essential. For example, a Dubai-based university created a sort of a Centre for Innovation and Excellence where they can have interaction with the industry. They bring mentors from the industry to do workshops, train the students that will allow them to understand better what is required from them once they go into the work environment.

We all live in a world that is continuously changing. The trends of globalisation and digital intelligence will continue to drive these changes, especially how we live as well as how we work - only at a faster pace. So, find out your passion, choose your career, and discover the powers of the human network with futuristic technology. All the best.
-suchitra@khaleejtimes.com