Gulf News Edufair 2025: Degrees are being rewritten for a changing world

There was a time when a college degree all but guaranteed a stable job and a clear career path. Not anymore. At the Gulf News Edufair 2025, currently underway at the H Dubai Hotel, four of the UAE’s leading educators delivered a timely message: in a world transformed by AI, climate urgency, and digital disruption, career paths are no longer linear, and academic success depends as much on adaptability and emotional intelligence as it does on qualifications.

Taking part in the panel discussion Careers and Courses: What’s in Demand and What’s on the Way Out were Professor Ammar Kaka, Pro Vice Chancellor and President of Curtin University Dubai; Dr Aseel Takshe, Acting Dean of the School of Environmental Sciences and Psychology at Canadian University Dubai; Professor Syed Arman Rabbani, Chairperson of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology at RAK Medical and Health Sciences University; and Waleed Minhas, Director of Leadership, Behavioural and Exam Preparation at Kaplan Middle East and North Africa.

Professor Rabbani opened with a reality check: “We’re living through a transformation driven by AI, digitalisation and data science. These are not small changes. They are redefining the very nature of work.” While industrial revolutions of the past replaced some jobs and created others, he argued that today’s disruption is more complex, blending innovation with urgent societal challenges like climate change, cybersecurity, and the rise of the gig economy. “Education must evolve, not only to keep up with these changes, but to lead them.”

Dr Takshe, who leads one of the region’s foremost environmental science faculties, illustrated the rapid expansion of climate-related careers. “Ten years ago, there was no such thing as an earthquake forecaster. Now it’s a real job,” she noted. “We used to broadly refer to ‘climate change experts’. Today, climatologists are specialists who use AI, biology and environmental science to solve increasingly complex challenges.” Her field, once niche, now intersects with disciplines ranging from urban planning to food security. “Agriculture is fast becoming one of the most innovation-driven sectors in the world,” she said.

In healthcare, the shift is even more dramatic. Professor Rabbani described how RAK Medical and Health Sciences University is integrating high-fidelity simulations, early clinical exposure and even metaverse labs into its curriculum. “Our students interact with 3D holographic patients, making real-time medical decisions in a simulated hospital environment. This isn’t the future, it’s already happening,” he said. These tools, combined with interdisciplinary learning models, are transforming how future medical professionals are trained.

But it isn’t just about shiny new tech. All four panelists agreed that universities must also rethink how, and how often, they update their curricula. “Historically, education has lagged behind industry,” said Waleed Minhas. “That’s finally changing. Many institutions are now revising programmes quarterly instead of annually, especially in tech-driven fields.” Still, he cautioned, keeping up isn’t enough. “It’s about collaboration. Universities, employers, and students need to co-create what education looks like.”

So what do employers want now? According to Professor Kaka, it’s not about where you studied, it’s about what you can do. “Employers are clear: they want job-ready graduates. That means critical thinking, communication skills, leadership, and the ability to work in teams. GPA alone no longer makes the cut,” he said. At Curtin University Dubai, these competencies are embedded directly into the curriculum. “Through industry collaboration, real-world projects and research from our Future of Work Institute, we’re preparing students for what lies ahead, not what’s already passed.”

Dr Takshe underscored this point with a blunt observation: “A student with a 3.8 GPA and no internships or extracurriculars doesn’t stand out anymore. Employers want to see what you’ve done beyond the classroom.” She noted that many students underestimate the value of workshops, internships and soft skills training, often dismissing them as optional. “They’ll say, ‘Why attend a CV-writing workshop when ChatGPT can write it for me?’ But communication, self-awareness, and professional networking, those are human skills AI can’t replicate.”

And what about the degrees that are losing relevance? Minhas doesn’t believe any core subject is obsolete, but he warns that students who don’t evolve with their fields are at risk. “Take accounting, it’s still essential. But it’s also becoming automated. If students don’t add digital skills, data literacy or soft skills to that degree, they’ll fall behind,” he said.

Soft skills, in fact, were the recurring theme of the panel. Professor Kaka pointed out that as machines take over routine tasks, uniquely human qualities, empathy, collaboration, creativity, are what will set graduates apart. “We teach these through experiential learning, not lectures,” he said. “That’s the only way to build the kind of mindset future jobs demand.”

Even in healthcare, where technical accuracy is paramount, emotional intelligence matters. “We’re seeing students with great coding skills,” said Rabbani, “but not enough empathy. We’re working hard to bridge that gap.”

When asked how they advise their own children, the panelists were refreshingly candid. “I tell my kids what my father told me,” said Kaka. “‘It doesn’t matter what you choose, just do it well.’ Passion and purpose lead to success.” Takshe echoed this, adding that parents must play the role of advisors, not decision-makers. “Forcing a child into a career they dislike only leads to disengagement and regret,” she warned. “I always insist on speaking to the student directly. It’s their future.”

The session closed on a light-hearted note, with each panelist imagining a degree they’d invent if given the chance. Minhas proposed a “Future Fluency” programme that fuses leadership, digital literacy and communication. Kaka envisioned a degree in “Critical Thinking and Resilience,” designed to prepare students for uncertainty. Takshe suggested “Human-AI Collaboration and Ethics,” while Rabbani advocated for a medical programme that blends AI, ethics and empathy. “We need professionals who understand both technology and humanity,” he said.

Gulf News Edufair Dubai is happening this weekend, May 9–11, at The H Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road — just steps from the World Trade Center Metro Station.

Enjoy free valet parking and exclusive gift bags for all attendees. Explore 1,000+ programmes from over 40 top universities and educational institutions, discover global study opportunities, meet career experts, attend seminars by 30+ thought leaders, and unlock exclusive offers and spot admissions — only at Edufair.