‘Firms must intervene at varsity level to prepare locals for jobs’

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Arab Gulf states need to create a massive 600,000 jobs by 2018, just to maintain a credible percentage of nationals working in the private sector. The two largest economies in the Arab world — Saudi Arabia and the UAE — are challenged to turn the massive growth of their private sectors into jobs for their nationals.

One of the region’s IT solutions providers is helping to change the way select UAE students are approaching their university studies by preparing them today to be the country’s workforce of tomorrow.

According to the UAE Labour Ministry, the country needs to create anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 jobs a year in the private sector, just to meet the requirements of the labour force likely to join the job market over the next decade. It is estimated that Emiratis working in the private sector do not exceed seven per cent, according to published data from the UAE Ministry of Economy. Initiatives by private companies like scholarships and workplace internships are helping nationals choose careers in the private sector.

Hasan Metla, Chief Financial Officer of Omnix International, says that his company became more involved in university activities once it was able to measure the enormous impact of its initiatives. He believes that despite gaps being successfully filled, a greater number of leading organisations should consider playing a role in the provision of services for the UAE’s higher education sector, as participation can only bring shared rewards for all parties involved.

“Filling education support services gaps with specialist solutions from third parties is a ‘win-win’ situation for everyone. The educational institutions benefit by having an organisation whose service provision is their particular forte; the students gain from having an additional knowledge resource; and the providers benefit through their name becoming embedded in the minds of a generation of future leaders and potential employees,” said Metla.

“Just having a master’s degree is no longer enough to guarantee a top job, students need real-life experiences and market know-how before they step into their working careers. The private sector must play a defining role in helping the new workforce acquire skills, which will make them standout in the job market,” added Metla.

Omnix International provides IT solutions for the education, government, oil and gas, healthcare, finance, and aviation sectors, among others. It already enjoys close working relationships with several leading UAE universities, including UAE University, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi University, American University in Sharjah, American University of UAE, and the American University in Dubai.

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