Proceedings of 11th International Business and Social Science Research Conference
8 - 9 January, 2015, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai, UAE, ISBN: 978-1-922069-70-2
Developing Employable Skills for the UAE Economy:
How to Align Higher Education with Private Sector Needs?
Salah S. Hassan*
The economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is experiencing the most
extensive diversification that the country ever accomplished in its history.
One of the most important pillars of diversification is the higher education
system that is currently being challenged to meet the changing needs of the
Emirati private sector. In the current climate of economic diversification, it is
crucial to foster a stronger alignment between higher education and private
sector needs. This alignment with the private sector is even more critical for
colleges of business where the focus on relevance in education is central to
the mission and strategic goals of these institutions of higher education. It is
critical also to mention that the traditional higher education prevalent
throughout Emirati universities leaves graduates poorly equipped with the
market-driven skills that are needed in today’s private sector. This puts a
major economic burden on the private sector to retrain newly hired college
graduates.
*Dr. Salah S. Hassan, Department of Marketing, School of Business, The George Washington University,
USA, Email: hassan@gwu,.edu