Fresh impetus for skills revolution
Thousands of young Emiratis sign up at technical colleges
ABU DHABI // The UAE took two major steps yesterday to promote a skills revolution that will drive the post-oil economy.
Skilled workers will make up nearly half of the expatriate workforce under new regulations announced at the Federal National Council.
And so many Emirati teenag- ers have signed up at technical and vocational schools to learn practical job skills that more schools will have to be built, education chiefs said.
“In 2005, the number of Emiratis in our system was about 2,500. Nowadays, we exceed 15,000 and the reason we cannot take more is that the facilities are full,” said Mubarak Al Shamsi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
The centre runs 31 applied technology high schools and secondary technical schools. As well as academic subjects, they offer courses such as business, engineering and aviation maintenance, health sciences and media production.
“The system we have is unique, it’s adaptive,” said Mr Al Shamsi. “Most of our students are sponsored by industry or by university. So when they finish college, they end up with a job directly.
“Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate everybody because of the limited capacity but we are building more facilities to accommodate more students.” At the FNC, Human Resources and Emiratisation Minister Saqr Ghobash told members the ministry was working on increasing the proportion of high- ly skilled workers to 40 per cent of the expatriate workforce.
The UAE is ranked third in the world at both attracting and retaining skilled workers, the minister said.
The ministry also aims to increase production in non- oil sectors by 5 per cent a year.
“This is not possible if the workers’ skills are not elevated,” said Mr Ghobash. “This is a challenge that shows to what extent the Government is keen on shifting towards a competitive knowledge-driven economy.”
ABU DHABI // Emirati enrolment in vocational schools has surged, signalling a positive change in the public’s perception of technical education.
“I don’t think there is a misconception about it any more,” said Mubarak Al Shamsi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Actvet).
Funded and accredited by the Government, Actvet runs 31 applied technology high school campuses and secondary technical schools that teach pupils trade skills.
At secondary technical schools, pupils from grades 10 to 12 study core subjects such as mathematics, science, Arabic, English, information communications technology and citizenship. They also take elective vocational classes in either business, engineering maintenance, aviation maintenance, health sciences or creative media production.
Pupils graduate with a certificate and internationally recognised vocational qualifications.
“In normal high school they learn the theory, but here they apply it,” said Jorge Pastoriza, who teaches biology in Ras Al Khaimah.
“When they graduate from our school, they are ready to work. They can also go to a university if they choose to get more specialisation, but they are ready to do technical work.”
Actvet also runs 19 post- secondary institutions that offer advanced educational and vocational training courses.
Mr Al Shamsi said Actvet had about 2,500 Emirati students in 2005, and the number had risen to more than 15,000 at present.
In Al Ain, Actvet has opened a high- school campus this academic year and will open another in September, making room for 5,000 pupils.
“Most of our students in high school are sponsored by industry or by a university. So when they finish college, they end up with a job directly,” said Mr Al Shamsi.
“Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate everybody because of the limited capacity, but we are building more facilities to accommodate more students.”
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Innovation Week, which launched yesterday with a forum in Abu Dhabi. At the forum, leaders from the public and private sectors discussed the future in a post-oil economy and economic diversification.
“When you do not diversify your economy, you end up with huge unemployment,” said James Calleja, director of the European centre for the development of vocational training.
“The figures show that where Tvet is not strong, unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, is very high.” Mr Calleja said Tvet had helped to foster closer ties between the education sector and companies.
“Tvet is no longer the qualification for lower qualifications or for lower grades,” he said.
“Tvet should have the same level of esteem as higher education. We need to embed Tvet in all learning systems, in as many qualifications as possible.”
For Emirati students, vocational education and training opens up a world of opportunities, according to Samer Al Haira, vice president of public affairs at ZonesCorp, a major operator of industrial zones in the UAE, which accommodates more than 650 private factories.
Mr Al Haira said: “There are double this number of companies coming in the pipeline in the next few years, which means there will be thousands of jobs available for nationals if the nationals are willing and want to be trained in special skills, those skills that will help us not only find jobs but will help us be leaders in the industrial world.
“You can become a specialised person without holding a PhD.”