Arab universities told to focus on tackling graduate unemployment

Universities in the Arab region “need to take seriously” high levels of graduate unemployment, a conference heard.

Karim Seghir, chancellor of Ajman University in the United Arab Emirates, told the Times Higher Education Arab Universities Summit that unemployment and the need to serve local communities were “priorities” for universities.

“[The youth] unemployment rate in the Arab region is the highest in the world at 25 per cent, and 40 per cent of university graduates are unemployed. It’s a big responsibility for universities and it has to be taken very seriously,” he said.

This needs long term investment and planning, Dr Seghir continued. “It’s not enough to have a couple of initiatives. It needs a paradigm shift. This is a top priority,” he said.

The “chronic issue” within the region’s sector was the lack of “bridging the gap” between institutions and the private sector, both in providing opportunities for students and shaping teaching, the event, held at the University of Dubai, heard.

“We talk about it a lot, but I think it needs more serious work to make sure that the private sector and companies are involved in every aspect of the learning that we provide to our students and in research and community service,” Dr Seghir said.

Rihab Khalifa, the commissioner for academic accreditation at the UAE’s Ministry of Education, said that “employment is a very important measure to judge the quality of education”, and argued that universities needed to get better at equipping students with the skills to adapt to evolving work and social environments.

“One of the key things we need to think about in terms of employability is to not just ensure students able to have a job immediately, but that they are equipped to have the skills…given how things are changing, to be employed as things change,” Professor Khalifa said.

She added that a modular approach to studies was integral to keeping up with advancements in technology and rapidly changing environments, as well as providing greater mentorship and “making sure that there’s a closer relationship between those who are learning and those who are providing the context of learning”.

“This idea of moving from teacher- to student-centric learning has been discussed for some time, and I think that we should really emphasise that. That also means more collaboration between industry, regulators, and collaboration between the students themselves,” Professor Khalifa said.

In order for universities to produce employable students, they needed to understand their “localised environments” and the challenges facing communities, the event heard. 

Dr Seghir said he believed that globalised approaches to higher education have not always best served the region, “because each region has its specific needs, its specific opportunities as well as challenges”.

Professor Khalifa added that by focusing more on regional challenges and “being able to serve your local community” makes students more employable after graduating. 

“If you cannot learn what your local context means and how things can be made better there, you’re likely not able to contribute to a wider context that you’re not that familiar with,” she said.

Universities must prove their worth beyond providing knowledge, or “risk becoming obsolete” due to technological advancements, she added.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com