National Program for Advanced Skills explores integrating advanced skills in higher education

• E. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi: Our goal is to empower students and professionals with the knowledge and skills they need in the future. These skills enrich the higher education system and promote lifelong learning.

• Mohamed Albaili: We will be focusing on incorporating advanced skills in all future strategic plans and academic programs to arm students with adaptive skills that can be deployed across various professions and sectors.

• Reyadh Almehaideb: The Strategy encourages all academic institutions to stimulate creative and innovative abilities in youth.

• Abdullatif Al Shamsi: Advanced skills allow individuals and organisations to keep pace with the global developments in the job market and enables Emiratis to excel in the jobs of the future.

Dubai: The National Program for Advanced Skills (NPAS) showcased its strategy and activation plan for the ‘My Skill 12x12’ Campaign at a meeting with directors and chancellors of all licensed higher education institutes in the UAE, exploring ways to integrate its objectives into the higher education system, promote these skills among students, and encourage lifelong learning in academic circles.

The meeting was also attended by officials in charge of approving academic curriculums and programs, and a line-up of expert academics. Attendees discussed the Strategy of the National Program for Advanced Skills and the ‘My Skill 12x12’ Campaign, which was adopted by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, at the end of May this year.

H.E. Dr Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, said: “The Strategy of the National Program for Advanced Skills is a pillar of our plans to qualify human resources, develop their skills, and cultivate their experience, establishing the UAE as a leader in the skill-development field. We strive to design a comprehensive system that channels future skills towards developing the UAE’s vital sectors. The Strategy reflects the forward-thinking vision of our wise leadership, and its aspirations to establish the UAE as a global model for future forecasting.”

“These skills enrich the higher education system and promote lifelong learning among students in the UAE,” H.E. Al Falasi continued. “Higher education institutes are a key partner in developing the skills of community members, which calls for harmonising efforts among all competent parties to establish a progressive approach to all aspects of learning in higher education institutions.”

“The objective is to stay ahead of global, social and economic fluctuations and prepare students for the jobs of the future. This specialised approach strikes a necessary balance, bridging the gap between cultivating students’ knowledge and encouraging them to seek out experiences, explore new paths, and learn to read market requirements and adapt accordingly,” H.E. explained.

“Development is the essence of this age, and one of the key drivers through which human civilisations came to thrive over the centuries. Drawing on such foundations, we launched the ‘My Skill 12x12’ Campaign with the ‘Growth Mindset’ skill. This particular skill aims to encourage students and community members to develop themselves and go on a journey of lifelong learning by rediscovering, honing, and utilising their skills, and expanding their knowledge and fields of expertise,” H.E. Al Falasi concluded, inviting officials at the meeting to actively contribute towards the Strategy’s objectives, incorporating its components into their curricula to prepare students and researchers for the future. ‘Growth Mindset’ skill was then followed by Financial Literacy, Adaptability and Scientific Literacy for the month of September.

Prof. Mohamed Albaili, Vice Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), said: “UAEU will focus on incorporating advanced skills in all its future strategic plans and academic programs, including basic skills, competencies, personal traits, and specialised skills. This will help arm students with skills that can be deployed across different professions and sectors, ensuring their ability to adapt to the rapid developments, digital transformation, and automation. We will also be focusing on instilling the culture of lifelong learning in students, in line with requirements of the future job market.”

Meanwhile, Dr Abdullatif Mohammed Al Shamsi, Vice Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), highlighted the importance of the NPAS Strategy in popularising lifelong learning to keep pace with and adapt to global developments across the job market. “This strategy is an embodiment of the UAE leadership’s vision to forecast the future and achieve the UAE Centennial 2071, all while equipping Emiratis with advanced skills to ensure they are prepared for the future,” he said.

“HCT will actively support the Strategy, integrating advanced skills into our programs, courses, and student life,” Dr Al Shamsi continued. “This is especially important seeing as HCT specialises in applied and technical education, and has broken ground on its ‘Fourth Generation Plan’, which offers a wide variety of academic courses and aims to graduate leaders, entrepreneurs, and technology experts, in addition to providing education for all by developing the staff’s skills to meet new job requirements. To that end, HCT currently provides an educational environment that develops students’ advanced skills, which are essential in ensuring their success, regardless of their field of study.”

For his part, H.E. Prof. Reyadh Almehaideb, Vice President of Zayed University, said: “The Strategy and ‘My Skill 12x12’ Campaign are highly influential, as they encourage all academic institutions to work towards bringing out the creative and innovative abilities in youth. This will ultimately help drive young people to develop advanced skills that can be adapted to meet rapid developments and serve their communities.”

HE Almehaideb also added: “Zayed University is keen to develop students’ creative and innovative research skills. Moreover, the University offers a new Minor in Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the College of Business designed for students who want to broaden their knowledge beyond their current major by developing practical Entrepreneurship skills to complement their current field of study.The University has also established the Zayed University Innovation and  Entrepreneurship Center in tune with UAE 2020 Vision, and in alignment with the National Agenda goals to promote Innovation and  Entrepreneurial culture and prepare innovative pioneering graduates, who will be leaders in their fields.”

At the meeting, Faisal Al Hammadi, Advisor to the Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, outlined the Strategy of the National Program for Advanced Skills, underlining its pivotal role in qualifying human resources. He went on to explain that the Program’s Strategy is founded on five pillars, combined with numerous initiatives, all aimed at promoting advanced skills as a catalyst for developing the sectors most vital to the UAE’s national strategies.

The first pillar of the Strategy is ‘Defining Advanced Skills’. Numerous international systems and models were closely studied and, as a result, 12 skills were identified as most relevant, falling under four main categories: basic skills, competencies, personality traits, and specialised skills.

Secondly, there is ‘Measuring Advanced Skills’, which is done at two levels: the Government Level to assess the country’s preparedness to arm workers with the skills of the future, and the Individuals Level to determine the extent of their ability to capitalise on these advanced skills. The list of skills includes scientific literacy, creativity, critical thinking/problem solving, leadership, empathy, tech literacy, financial literacy, collaboration, communication, adaptability, social and cultural awareness, and growth mindset.

The Strategy’s third pillar is ‘Identifying Target Groups’, which include students in various stages of education, newly graduated employees, and experienced staff members in the government and private sectors. Meanwhile, pillar number four centres on ‘Policies and Programs’, focusing on mechanisms that empower the target groups to acquire advanced skills, whereas the fifth and final pillar focuses on ‘Raising Community Awareness’ about the importance of advanced skills providing them opportunities to acquire these advanced skills through a range of events and experiences.

In addition to the outline of the Strategy for the National Program for Advanced Skills, Faisal Al Hammadi shed light on the ‘My Skill 12x12’ Campaign – an initiative launched to support the strategy, which also constitutes the first step towards implementing it. “The campaign is an extension of the UAE’s National Higher Education Strategy, and its plans to qualify students to venture into new horizons, in line with the UAE’s vision to establish a sustainable economic system,” he said.

“These skills contribute to driving the development of the sectors most vital to the future of the UAE,” Al Hammadi continued, citing as key sectors food and agriculture, water, information and communication technology (ICT), industry, space exploration, healthcare, (sustainable) energy, the government sector, construction, wholesale and retail, tourism, transportation, and finance and insurance. Furthermore, the campaign determined the primary methods to develop these skillsets, namely, education, culture, arts, community development, and entrepreneurship.

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© Press Release 2019