Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Following a recent Memorandum of Understanding, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation launched a joint research paper titled ‘The 3 C’s of Bridging the Emirati Employment Gap’. The report sets out the need for a targeted approach and multi-stakeholder partnerships to enhance the skills and employability of Emirati youth in the private sector, a critical component of the UAE’s Centennial Plan 2071.

Local government officials have previously cited the need for more Emiratis to graduate with skills aligned with the job market, specifically science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competencies, and critical and analytical thinking skills. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum sees the digital economy as the key to growth and global competitiveness, and the youth are at the center of these ambitions.

The barriers to higher Emirati employment in the private sector cut across various dimensions, including a gap between education and the needs of the job market, as well as cultural perceptions, differences in compensation and benefits across sectors, and other challenges that the report details further.

“Given the UAE’s ambitious plans for the next 50 years, the government, the private sector, and education providers must work together to support young people in reaching their full potential,” said Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation. “The partnership between Accenture and the Foundation showcases our commitment to recognize and respond to the evolving needs of the workplace and take actionable progress to upskilling Emirati youth as they enter the labor market, especially in private sector roles.”

Report findings were gathered during multiple events at Expo 2020. Moreover, the Foundation recently launched the Al Ghurair Foundation Youth Advisory Council to embed youth voices throughout the process.

“To achieve the ambitions in the report at scale, the designing and implementing of the upskilling initiatives and programs will require buy-in and participation from ecosystem stakeholders – including the private sector, government, Emirati youth and education providers,” said Alexis Lecanuet, Accenture’s regional managing director in the Middle East. “Our newest collaborative effort with the Foundation reaffirms Accenture’s commitment to equipping Emirati youth with the technical and transferable skills necessary to thrive in the future knowledge-based economy.”

To empower future generations with critical 21st-century knowledge and skills, stakeholders need to adhere to the Triple C’s:

  • Comprehensive: Combining technical and transferable skills is more critical than ever in a digital world. Those who work collaboratively, cooperatively, and creatively are more likely to succeed.
  • Contextualized: Tailoring to specific needs and interests of the labor market and understanding the local employability challenges such as language barriers.
  • Centered: Placing the learner at the center of the process and ensuring they are active in developing skills, whether thinking, questioning, or researching.

-Ends-

Media Contacts: 
Nauf Mawla
Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation
nmawla@alghurairfoundation.org
Theodore Halabi
Accenture
theodore.halabi@accenture.com

About The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation

AGF aims to empower Emirati and Arab youth to thrive and contribute to the sustainable development of the region, through innovative education solutions and authentic partnerships. As one of the largest privately funded philanthropic foundations in the Arab region, AGF supports the provision of high-quality technology-based education opportunities, as well as the development of relevant skills for a successful transition into higher education and the labor market. Founded in 2015, the Foundation is dedicated to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8, 17 calling for inclusive and equitable quality education that leads to improved standards of living for all. The Foundation is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business.

 About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.