UAE education set for wholesale change to meet market needs

UAE education set for wholesale change to meet market needs

DAVOS: Teaching methods at one the UAE’s biggest universities were being transformed to better prepare students for the changing needs of the labor market, the country’s education minister said on Tuesday. Ahmad bin Abdullah Belhoul was speaking during a panel session — titled “Preparing 1 Billion People for Tomorrow’s Economy” — at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The minister told delegates that government owned Zayed University in Abu Dhabi was among Emirati institutions leading the way in adapting to the nation’s future workforce requirements. He noted that as part of the preparations, the focus was shifting toward soft skills and more interdisciplinary fields of study. Belhoul said: “There’s a gap between education outcomes and what the labor market requires today, that has always existed. “But now, in the changing evolution of jobs, we are focusing a lot on soft skills such as adaptability, and we are looking on graduate students with interdisciplinary majors who are also able to adapt.” He pointed out how Zayed University planned to phase out traditional university degrees by 2026 and launch interdisciplinary degrees, such as social entrepreneurship and business innovation, to meet post-coronavirus pandemic hybrid workplace needs. “We are trying as much as