Don’t fear AI: Graduates need skills, not just degrees for UAE jobs

In today’s fast-evolving workplace, a degree alone is no longer enough to secure a graduate’s employability. During the Gulf News Edufair Dubai 2025 – one of the region’s leading education fairs – experts highlighted the growing importance of practical, transferable skills alongside formal education.

During a panel discussion on the topic, ‘Skills over Syllabi: Why Outcomes Outweigh Course Titles’, Prof Shashank Khurana, Associate Professor at BITS Pilani, Dubai, noted that technical knowledge alone does not ensure readiness for real-world challenges.

“Students gain technical skills in their programmes, whether humanities, management, engineering or medicine, but that doesn’t ensure they can apply them effectively in practice. They need to have those soft skills as add-on skills to contribute to industry needs.” Adaptability, he said, remains crucial: “The market is changing faster than all of us can imagine. A graduate who can adapt, learn, unlearn, and relearn will survive.”

‘AI cannot replace humans’

Dr Vidya Nandagopal, Director of the Centre for Executive Development, University of Dubai, noted the widening gap between academic training and industry requirements. “A computer engineer who did computer science in 2005 but hasn’t updated themselves may be less relevant than a non-degree holder skilled in current coding frameworks,” she said.
Highlighting the value of meta-skills, she underlined communication, collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, data literacy, resilience and inclusivity as crucial skills that cannot be replicated by AI.
“While an academic degree may open the door, it is your skills that will keep you in the room.”

‘Universities need to run faster than market’

Ruchi Aggarwal, Associate Professor and Head of the Faculty of Business and Law at De Montfort, stressed the importance of preparing students for an unpredictable world.
“You can get into the room, but you can’t stay there. It’s no longer a success story if you just have a degree; you need to acquire the skills and come prepared. You have to hit the ground running because by the time you learn a new skill, the world may have already changed. That’s why, I believe, universities need to move faster than the market,” she said, stressing the importance of embedding skills alongside academic knowledge.

Why skills are non-negotiable

Jeff Strachan, AVP of Business Operations at Dubai College of Tourism, pointed out a practical dimension. “In vocational education, skills are non-negotiable. If students don’t have practical abilities in tourism, hospitality, or culinary arts, they are unemployable. We immerse students in real-world environments from day one, using the city itself as a learning campus,” he said, noting that students with both technical and soft skills such as empathy, manners, and grooming standards will always have a job.
The three-day exhibition at H Dubai Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road is underway till Sunday. The free-to-attend event features insightful panel discussions and offers guidance from more than 35 universities and higher education institutions in the UAE and abroad.

Where: Al Massa Ballroom, the H Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road
When: October 3 to 5 (9 am to 7 pm)
Good to know: Entry is free and goody bags for all visitors

Register: https://events.gulfnews.com/EdufairDubai