The College of Humanities and Social Sciences held the “Future Skills and Employment Forum,” at the Crescent Building theatre on campus, to explore the future of education and skill-based job opportunities that are in employing students to meet future needs. The forum was attended by Prof. Matthew Evans, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost, Prof. Hassan Al-Naboodah, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences College, Dr. Yehya Al Marzouqi, Executive Director of the Advisory Unit at Tawazun Council, Mr. Dan Justice, Head of Human Resources in UAE and Qatar for Thales International Group, and a number of experts and speakers from government agencies, companies, regional and international institutions, and the university students.

Dr. Khaula Al Kaabi, Associate Professor at the Geography and Urban Sustainability Department in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UAEU, and the chair of the forum organizing committee explained, “The Launching of the Future Skills and Employment Forum is part of the UAE Innovates activities. The UAE takes various proactive steps to invest in its human resources and to provide youth and students with the necessary skills to face future challenges since the Fourth Industrial Revolution imposes a new reality full of challenges and opportunities that require entirely new skills as a result of the technological development that the world witnesses and necessitates keeping pace with these challenges and benefiting from these opportunities on several axes that lead to the future jobs and skills in the world in the field of artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, advanced manufacturing, and virtual reality. Because of the global orientation towards sustainability, there is a need to discuss these aspects through the forum’s sessions which are organized by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UAE University.

During the first session of the Forum, which was moderated by Dr. Khaula Al Kaabi, experts and specialists addressed various topics. The most prominent ones were “Unleash Job Opportunities with Lower Credential Certificates,” “Preparing for the Labor Market in the Future” which was presented by Mr. Zaher Srour, Director of Partnerships for Coursera for Campus in the Middle East and Africa, and “The Future of Skills-Based Education and Employment,” in which Dr. Majida Alazazi, Founder and CEO of M Glory Holding and CEO of Sandstorm Automotive Factor, discussed “The Future Vision of the Future Skills and Employment.”

Dr. Hussam Al Hammadi, Vice Chair of the International Association IEEE, discussed “The Advanced Technologies for the Humanities and Social Sciences,” and Ms. Moza Al Zaabi, owner and founder of WE CHANGE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, addressed “Start Your Own Entrepreneurial Journey and Fortune.”

The second session of the forum, entitled “The Future of Work and Students’ Employment,” represented by Dr. Mohammed Aljanahi from the Department of Government and Society in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, discussed various areas and highlighted the Arab labor market and the future skills for the year 2030.

During this session, both Dr. Mohamed Abdulzaher, Assistant Professor of Intelligent-Integrated Media and Mass Communication at the University of Sharjah and the CEO for Artificial Intelligence Journalism for Research and Forecasting, and Dr. Ammar Saif Al Shamsi, Expert in Talent Management for Technology and Telecommunications Industries, addressed the future of work and the employability of students. 

The “Future Jobs in UAE” theme was approached by Mr. Abdullah Al Mansoori from the Ministry of Interior, within the same area Ms. Zamzam Ahmed Ali Al Neaimi, Senior Specialist Government Partnership Human Resources Authority, dealt with the topic “Preparing for Future Jobs,” while Dr. Maya Abou Zahr, Visiting Faculty from the Department of Government and Society at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UAEU discussed “The Necessary Skills for the Future.”