In-demand jobs drive new Adec strategies

Scholarships for Emirati students focus on Stem subjects, while universities will need new courses to include internships

ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi Education Council is offering scholarships to Emirati university students only in fields where jobs are in demand, according to labour market data.

Dr Mohamed Yousif Baniyas, Adec’s executive director for higher education, explained the changes to the scholarship programme and other efforts to better prepare graduates for employment.

Scholarships will be awarded only for students studying fields in demand by the private and public sectors, particularly science, technology, engineering and maths, Dr Baniyas said.

This year, more than 1,000 Emiratis were awarded academic scholarships from Adec. These cover tuition and monthly stipends for students studying abroad or at home.

Adec will also consider labour market demand when approving new programmes that universities want to offer, he said. Although higher education institutes in the emirate operate autonomously, new pro- grammes must be approved by an Adec quality assurance department that works with the Ministry of Education to ensure high standards for licensing.

The council has been collecting data on graduates from public and private universities to make sure they are gaining knowledge and experience to meet current and future market demands, Dr Baniyas said.

“We look at employability per programme, per speciality,” he said. “We look at employability at different stages after graduation. We look at employer satisfaction with the graduate – how they rate them.”

Data also suggest that graduates need more practical experience to find employment, so Adec will require universities to include internship components in any new programme before it is approved.

“In general, we found that the programmes that have more practicum, more hands-on experience, more internships – the employability is higher,” Dr Baniyas said.

Career counsellors are also using labour market data to steer students towards careers that are in demand. “We are preparing the future manpower that is needed by the government and private partners,” said Dr Baniyas. “So, basically what they do is they counsel the students. ‘You want to study public relations, my dear, it’s a nice dream, but think again’.”

Adec’s latest graduate destination survey found that 87 per cent of Emirati men and 52 per cent of Emirati women who graduated from an Abu Dhabi university were employed nine months after graduation.

Engineering, business, and health and welfare graduates had the highest rate of employability, with 77, 76 and 67 per cent of Emirati graduates finding work in these fields within that time frame.

Students who earned a degree in agriculture and arts and humanities had the lowest rate of employment, with only 37 and 39 per cent of students finding work in those respective areas. Dr Ahmad Belhoul, Minister of State for Higher Education, said internships were an excellent way for students to gain experience while learning about professional opportunities.

Dr Tod Laursen, president of Khalifa University, said: “Internships not only give them exposure to real industrial work settings and assignments while a student, but also often stimulate them once they return to university, to continue to work on related topics as seniors in our programme,” he said.