Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

UAE education set for wholesale change to meet market needs

UAE education set for wholesale change to meet market needs

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 we can to intertwine different fields of study to graduate students that are interdisciplinary but also focus on soft skills that we believe are going to be useful in the future,” he added.

Panel moderator, Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of The Economist, said soft skills — including communication, time management, adaptability, curiosity, and a growth mindset — were now as important to the job market as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills were five years ago.

Belhoul said: “We can retrain someone technically, but if they don’t acquire the soft skills during the education system, it is difficult to train them later on.”

According to WEF studies, as technology shifted, companies tended to opt for green solutions, and as the global labor market adjusted to the fallout from the pandemic, up to 1 billion jobs would be radically transformed in the next decade.

By 2030, a WEF program aims to introduce critical interventions to provide better skills, jobs, and education for 1 billion people who may be at risk of being made redundant due to ongoing changes.

And since its launch in 2020, the forum’s re-skilling revolution initiative has been working with more than 350 organizations to provide 1 billion people with better education, skills, and economic opportunities by 2030.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×