Under half of students would study the same subjects again if given a choice and more than 2/3rd of youth end up working in a career unrelated to their education, according to locally based HR consultancy, The Talent Enterprise

13 April, Al Ain, U.A.E: The Talent Enterprise, MENA region's premier 'think' and 'do' tank dedicated to the elevation of human capital, revealed that according to global and local trends, approximately half of all students would not go back to study the same courses and an astounding 2/3rds of graduates end up on a career path that is unrelated to what they studied while at university.

These findings suggest that there is a need to support youth in increasing self-awareness and to help the youth make better career decisions based on their strengths and skills. Addressing this need, a key feature at the Al Ain Education Career Fair is The Thriving Index - a leading edge psychometric assessment by The Talent Enterprise to help students, job seekers and employees identify their key strengths and work orientations. The Thriving Index assessments are the first and only indigenous tools developed for the region. They are founded on a very unique and powerful strengths-based approach, to identify key aspects that help people be at their best.  

The assessments, which will be available for visitors attending the Al Ain Education & Career Fair next week to take, are suitable for all age groups - students, job seekers and those currently employed - to understand more about themselves and explore their most suitable career options, based on their own personal motivation, strengths and aspirations.

The assessment provides the top 5 career options, from a list of 20, including jobs like sales, marketing, digital design, consulting, finance, HR, operations as well as careers in healthcare, entrepreneurship etc.

According to David Jones, Managing Director at The Talent Enterprise and a Labor Market Economist, there is a massive opportunity in the UAE to fully tap into the tremendous potential, energy and creativity of the younger generation.

"We believe that each and every individual has something unique to offer, in terms of their own individual strengths and aspirations. It's really about discovering these unique attributes, and then helping the right people find the right jobs. Based on this realisation, The Talent Enterprise has developed the region's first and only psychometric assessment tools to help students, job-seekers and employees understand more about their strengths and personal motivation, and then provide recommendations on the top 5 careers and occupations that they would flourish in." said Jones.

The Thriving Index also monitor trends amongst UAE nationals and found that work engagement and motivation, especially for those under 25 years and between 25 & 34 years, is the lowest of all age-groups - a significant concern since the youngest talents aren't motivated at work to do their best.

One of the main factors driving this is the on-going gap between education and employment. This is due to the lack of work preparedness and critical life skills amongst the UAE's youth, such as dealing with setbacks (what's often known as resilience), persistence to achieve goals (or grit), having a positive mindset and realistic expectations from the world of work.

"These assessments greatly help in mitigating some of these concerns, by having pro-active and informed discussions on the most suitable careers based on the unique attributes of every person. Everyone is good at something - it's about discovering these strengths and attributes - and then helping to match the right people to the right jobs. The Al Ain Education and Career Fair provides an incredible opportunity for people to take this assessment and find out more about their skills and job suitability" added Namrata Budhraja, Senior Consultant at The Talent Enterprise.  

Below is some data on the top and bottom strengths for UAE national youth:



"The above clearly shows that our younger generation is very ambitious, motivated by both external factors, such as career growth and reward as well as a need to make a positive contribution to their country or community. They are also eager to learn and develop, however, lack key skills such as self-confidence, resilience, grit, flexibility and taking responsibility, as examples. 

Therefore, we urgently need powerful and objective tools, which are locally-designed and locally relevant like the Youth, Employee and Job-Seeker Thriving Index to discover these strengths, build greater confidence and self-awareness, develop these essential life skills, and support more objective career guidance, to help prepare our future generations for the world of work." said Jones.

Sponsors for Al Ain Education & Career Fair 2015 include Platinum Sponsors ADVETI/IAT, Gold Sponsors Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Etihad Airways, Silver Sponsors New York Institute of Technology and Al Khawarizmi International College and sponsor University of Jazeera. The fair is also supported by Education Partners UAE University and Higher Colleges of Technology.

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About Al Ain Education & Career Fair:
The Al Ain Education & Career Fair is the leading annual exhibition that focuses on higher education, training and career opportunities in Al Ain. Now in its 6th year, the fair continues to serve as the perfect platform for universities seeking students and companies interested in recruiting qualified Emiratis from Al Ain. For more details visit www.alaincareerfair.com 

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© Press Release 2015