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Garnering the stars of tomorrow

Dubai’s vision to build a sustainable knowledge economy seems to be bearing fruit with more students being hired straight out of campuses.

Earlier this year, a study was commissioned to identify the needs of the UAE workforce and results were in line with expectations — students favour universities with good employability.

Richard Barrett, Head of Deloitte’s Education and Skills consulting practice, said: “As employers continue to compete for the best talent, early engagement with the stars of tomorrow is important in building and retaining a competitive workforce. The clear message is: universities that are able to offer student placements alongside recognised high quality teaching with mainstream programmes will stay ahead in student recruitment.”

The SP Jain School of Global Management in Dubai prides itself for having a good employability record. More than 600 students from the business school have already found jobs right out of university and the number is increasing every year.

“Since the start of our Dubai campus in 2004 we have had nearly 2,000 students graduating from full-time programmes with us. More than 600 of them are currently placed in stable careers across the Middle East and Africa with a majority of them in the UAE. The rest have been placed in countries like India, Singapore and China,” said Chandrasekhar Singh, who heads the corporate relations department at the B-school.

Students are given comprehensive training before stepping into professional roles with companies hiring them. “Students are put through an extensive Corporate Readiness Programme (CRP) that readies them to face the real world by sharpening their soft skills which particularly include global intelligence and real-world skills,” he added.

While campus placements are still a fledgling concept for newer universities, industry partnerships are also gaining popularity with some of the bigger universities.

The American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently announced the launch of a new professorship in luxury brand management in partnership with the Chaloub Group. Students taking the programme would be getting a chance to work alongside the biggest luxury brands in the Middle East and it would be the first of its kind initiative to create local talent in the luxury industry.

Speaking with Khaleej Times, Patrick Chalhoub, Group CEO, Chalhoub Group said: “Almost 20 years ago, there was no talent available locally and often the challenge was to educate people who were brought as experts from outside the UAE. This is changing and today there is a lot of talent available locally. It has been made possible by universities in the UAE.”

The partnership between Chaloub Group and AUS would help meet the need for a niche academic and talent development programme catered towards the luxury brand sector in the Middle East region. Likewise, students at Amity University’s Hospitality and Tourism programme also benefit from the university’s partnership with a major hotel group in the UAE. The students receive internships and entry-level positions on completion of their undergraduate programme, giving them a head start in the hospitality industry.

For universities without placement programmes and campus interviews, attracting students will become a challenge. With Dubai’s Expo 2020 bid in focus, the emphasis on providing good talent from local universities will become increasingly important.