Institutes must work in tandem to help graduates in Arab region
Support students to attain competency, educationists say
Sharjah: Discussion at the "Linking Education and Stable Socio-Economic Development" afternoon session of the 11th Annual Conference of the Arab International Women's Forum (AIWF) emphasised the need for higher education institutes to work hand in hand with the industry and the government to help provide graduates with the skill set to succeed in today's world.
The forum was inaugurated by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah and Founder and President of American University of Sharjah (AUS), yesterday morning.
During the afternoon session, Ron Bruder, Founder Chairman at the Education for Employment Foundation — USA, said: "Eighty seven per cent of CEOs in the Middle East believe that the limited supply of candidates with the right skills presents the biggest challenge in the next few years."
Analytical skills
Bruder said the Education for Employment Foundation has created training centres in various Arab countries that provide specific courses that give graduates the skills to help them get jobs. Women have very high participation rates in these training programmes, Bruder noted.
Peter Heath, Chancellor of the American University of Sharjah, said the problem with education in many Arab countries, especially in national universities, is their educational model depends on memorisation and ignores developing analytical skills, which the workforce requires.
He said the key was finding a way to bring the universities, training centres and the government together in a way that they can coordinate with each other to "create a system of higher education that helps the student reach the level of competency that the workforce needs."
"Throughout the Arab region, women outnumber men in higher education and account for around 75 per cent of students in colleges and universities in the Arab world," Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani, founder and chairperson of the AIWF said.
She added at a time when the world's governments are working on economic strategies to restore growth, it is important to incorporate women in the workforce. They are under-represented in the field of sciences, sports, religion, medicine, and engineering, she said.
