Are skills of tomorrow being taught today?

Schools and universities in UAE need to be ready to adapt to the rapid pace of change to cater to future skills. Gulf News speaks to stakeholders to know how they are preparing for the future

Digitisation and the increasing use of artificial intelligence are bringing about a massive change to places of work, and being employable in these offices of the future requires a different set of skills among today’s students. The pressure is being felt across educational systems and institutions across the UAE, Gulf News has found.

And while employers still cite a lack of skills and adequate preparation as reasons for job vacancies, schools and universities are increasingly adopting pedagogies that stress in-demand skills like critical thinking, problem solving and tech-savviness among their students.

This means that graduates in the UAE must possess a strong grasp of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects, along with an effective set of communication, entrepreneurial and problem solving skills, the British Council report advised.

“Given how dynamic both the tech sector and the global economy are as a whole, it is critical that students are exposed to a broad range of subjects to ensure they remain competitive,” Paul Stock, educational consultant at Hale Education Group, told Gulf News. Hale Education is a Dubai-based educational consultancy that specialises in university enrolment.

“Curricula that encourage students to explore both the hard sciences, as well as subjects like English, Art, and History that encourage the development of relevant soft skills like critical thinking and reasoning, tend to produce students who are better prepared for today’s fluid economic and professional environment,” Stock added.

“Our most successful students blend multiple disciplines. So a future engineer took ALevel Art, a future doctor enrolled in A-Level English, an Ivy League-accepted future businessman wrote A-Level History, Math, Economics and Biology, and completed an extended project within Music Education,” Stock explained.

Interpersonal skills vital

“Our understanding is that 50 per cent of tomorrow’s jobs will be replaced by robots, and students would do well to have the ability to build and maintain these robots, whether they are used in industry or even in new fields like museum development and the arts,” said Hazel Raja, assistant dean for students and director of the career development centre at the New York University Abu Dhabi.

“As always, interpersonal skills will continue to be valuable. In addition, as the population ages globally, job opportunities will also continue to be present in the health care sector,” said Hazel Raja, assistant dean for students and director of the career development centre at the New York University Abu Dhabi.

“While schools in the UAE are aware of these future skills, many could still invest in further teacher training,” Raja said.

It is critical that students are exposed to a broad range of subjects to ensure they remain competitive.”

Paul Stock | Education Consultant

While schools in the UAE are aware of these future skills, many could still invest in further teacher training.”

Hazel Raja | Assistant Dean, New York University Abu Dhabi