Leaders from the MENA region joined a seminar to discuss strategies for retaining graduates who will keep the region¡¯s research, development and investment alive
How can universities in the Middle East ensure that graduates are work-ready but also equipped with the skills to continue learning in a fast-changing labour market? This was one of the central questions posed to university leaders at Coursera¡¯s?private presidents¡¯ round table on retaining talent, held at the in Dubai.
¡°Companies recognise that there¡¯s a mismatch between the skills graduates are getting and the skills they need for future jobs,¡± said Zaher Srour, director of partnerships in the Middle East at Coursera.
Employers are taking a skills-first hiring approach that puts pressure on students and universities to fill that gap, but course providers such as Coursera can supplement the core content that universities provide. ¡°Perhaps the pace of technology is moving so fast that updating the curriculum is a challenge. Academics can blend their expert fields with courses in areas such as data science or soft skills,¡± Srour added.?
There was a consensus that the relationship between universities and industry sits at the heart of nurturing and retaining the best talent. ¡°I believe that, rather than just partnering with industry for internships, we bring industry on to the campus,¡± said Ghaleb Alhadrami, acting vice-chancellor at United Arab Emirates University. ¡°Research and development can contribute massively to the economic development of the region. Rather than a professor putting together a curriculum in a closed room, you bring in industry to co-design.¡±
Susan Milner, director for education and English (MENA) at the British Council, said it was ¡°important to reflect on the demand side in higher education, and student perspectives¡± on employment outcomes. She cited an example in Malaysia where university leaders were invited to shadow industry partners.
Arif Al Hammadi, executive vice-president of Khalifa University, said that this reflected what he had seen in terms of student demand. ¡°Generally, universities don¡¯t teach for jobs, because the market is changing so fast,¡± he said. ¡°The students go after what the market is selling them, and by the time they graduate the market is oversaturated.¡±
Creating a culture of lifelong learning will also be crucial as universities look to retain talent and form a sustainable pipeline of graduates to local employers. Arshad Ahmad, vice-chancellor of Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan, argued that one way to maintain a relationship with graduates was to get them involved in governance and fundraising. ¡°They are the best ambassadors to talk about the impact of their education,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s a multiplier effect where that can come back full circle, not only to the university but to the region and the country.¡±
Universities could support students to build crucial research and adaptability skills and ¡°create an innovative generation, a digital generation¡± that can deal with the changing world of work, added Fawwaz Alabed-Alhaq, president of Hashemite University in Jordan.?
Barry Winn, vice-chancellor of Sohar University in Oman, felt that the region needed to improve how it promoted the intellectual property emerging from academic research. He concluded: ¡°We need to transform from consumers of knowledge to generators of new knowledge, ensuring universities actively build new businesses and putting IP out into local industry, creating an R&D culture and ecosystem for people to stay.¡±
The panel:
- Arshad Ahmad, vice-chancellor, Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan
- Fawwaz Alabed-Alhaq, president, Hashemite University
- Ghaleb Alhadrami, acting vice-chancellor, United Arab Emirates University
- Phil Baty, chief knowledge officer, Times Higher Education (chair)
- Arif Al Hammadi, executive vice-president of Khalifa University?
- Susan Milner, director for education and English (MENA), British Council
- Zaher Srour, director of partnerships (Middle East), Coursera
- Barry Winn, vice-chancellor, Sohar University
?about Coursera for Campus.
