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Getting Emiratis into private sector a challenge, says education expert

Dr Arif Al Hammdi. -Supplied photo

Senior government officials in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are advising students to look beyond conventional careers and start preparing for new jobs which will fill the market over the next few years.

Dr Arif Al Hammadi, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), said, “Graduates with diplomas and school certificates face difficulties in getting jobs. Not continuing higher education is a problem area which we need to tackle.”

Every year, more than 40,000 students are provided career guidance by the Adec, making students aware of new jobs and industries to work for. “The challenges we face at Adec is how to convince students to go to disciplines which have jobs. Oil and Gas is the biggest industry in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Together with construction, these two sectors contribute more than 50 per cent of the GDP and hire the most people.”

Fatma Al Marri, CEO of Dubai Schools Agency at Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), explained, “We have a gap in school and university education which needs to be bridged. Students have to understand their career choices and they have to think beyond conventional careers.”

The Emirates Foundation has been working with high school students across the UAE, pioneering youth programmes to help create awareness about financial education and science programmes. Clare Woodcraft, CEO of Emirates Foundation, said, “The youth don’t have access to private sector and they need to look for jobs outside the traditional areas of employment. Getting Emiratis into the private sector is a challenge.”

Government jobs are a top priority for Emirati graduates. While private schools and universities continue to attract Emirati students, young graduates clearly aim for jobs in the public sector.

Professor Eman Gaad, Dean of Faculty of Education at The British University in Dubai, said, “Emirati students have a sense of serving their country. They know they would have to work hard to fit in and their perspective towards career choices and education is slowly shifting. People are more aware and enlightened about doing something effective.”

More than 20,000 students from 125 countries study in Dubai, making the emirate an important education destination in the Middle East. “The UAE is competitive by nature and it will continue to achieve more. Ongoing training and development is needed to sustain a highly skilled workforce and we continue to undertake workforce planning studies to identify gaps,” said Dr Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director of TECOM Investments Education Cluster.

With more students coming to Dubai, Dr Kazim called on education providers to make efforts to ‘sustain the wider economy’.

“We understand the education hubs have to be innovative to be successful in today’s increasingly globalised world where students can choose any number of countries to study in. Universities have to cater to industry demand while giving students adaptable and transferable skills.” -muaz@khaleejtimes.com