Nearly three quarters of UAE and regional university students – 72 percent – said they felt the skills they are learning at university will help them find employment.

However, a similar number said they would like more career guidance, according to a study titled What Arab Youth? involving 11,000 students by KPMG, The Talent Enterprise and Dubai International Academic City.

Seven in ten students believe that education is providing them with the skills they need to work. According to the survey, universities in a post-COVID-19 era need to be more agile, seek new ways to attract and retain students and should look for new ways of learning.

Before the crisis had fully emerged, only 49 percent of students said that they would study in the same university again.

There is also a need for more regional initiatives to encourage the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as entrepreneurship degrees, the survey revealed.

Of those surveyed, 60 percent were Gulf nationals - half them Emirati students.

More than 20 per cent of participants said that would like to pursue a career related to STEM.

The survey also found positivity, with nearly eight in 10 young people saying they are excited about what the future holds, with 88 percent believing the best is yet to come.

However, as the research took place in March 2020, a follow-up study is under way to gauge how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected youth sentiment.

Mohammad Abdullah, Managing Director of Dubai International Academic City, said: “Helping educators and employers meet the expectations of young people is intrinsically linked to the vision of our leaders for a robust, resilient and sustainable higher education sector.

“And that is why we initiated this research with KPMG and the Talent Enterprise: to provide actionable data on youth sentiment and fuel Dubai’s knowledge and innovation-based economy.”

(Writing by Imogen Lillywhite; editing by Seban Scaria)

(imogen.lillywhite@refinitiv.com)

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© ZAWYA 2020