Experts, academics, parliamentarians and officials from government and private institutions agreed that the state universities suffer what they called a "loophole", which is related to the lack of developing vital professions needed by the labor market, most notably in the hospitality, To review the programs that are not required, to look at the vital disciplines that need to open new courses that meet the needs of the market periodically, in addition to the implementation of linking with a number of employers, to find out the latest disciplines that enter the labor market in the country, to measure the possibility of It is included in the educational courses in universities.
Officials in governmental and private institutions expressed astonishment at what they described as the "indifference" of the existing universities in the country to develop and expand their programs and programs to include many vital vital disciplines needed by the labor market in the country such as nursing, Agriculture, tourism and hospitality.
Al-Emarat Al-Youm said that the number of programs offered in these specializations is very low, in addition to the fact that they are general programs. Most of them study at the bachelor's degree, and graduates do not find a way to complete their higher studies except by traveling abroad.
"SEHA is looking forward to collaborating with academic institutions in the UAE to launch specialized nursing and post-bachelor tracks to encourage new generation citizens to work in this field," said Dr. Ali Abdulkarim Al Obaidly, Executive Director of Academic Affairs at SEHA. While also raising awareness among members of the community about the importance of the profession of nursing and the need to encourage young Emirati boys and girls to engage in this noble humanitarian profession. "
HE Dr. Aisha Al-Muhri, Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions, explained that university programs offered by higher education institutions within the country in nursing do not cover the required specialties in the nursing sector, stressing the importance of the need for more academic disciplines At the master level, in addition to the need for the medical sector in the country to doctoral programs in nursing, as well as a Bachelor's degree program in midwifery.
Al-Muhari pointed out that Emiratisation in the nursing sector in Abu Dhabi is only 1%, due to a number of challenges, including the attractive work environment, lack of a clear career ladder, and the lack of educational opportunities in nursing specialties. Especially as young citizens are always looking for higher degrees of education, so having academic majors in the master's and doctoral degrees will enhance their retention in the profession.
The first international health conference on nursing excellence, organized by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), recommended that the nursing profession should be given more attention by providing specialized bodies and academic institutions with higher academic tracks for nurses, educational and training programs for postgraduate studies, Nursing profession, noting the importance of providing scientific and practical programs for continuous learning.
For his part, Dr. Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Director of Pest Control at Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center, stressed the urgent need to develop university specialties in the field of pest control, pointing out that most UAE universities do not study this course in detail. Specializations in pesticides and grading, but there are no specialists in the management of pest control in full.
Al-Marzouqi stressed that the lack of experts in this area should be a motive for the opening of courses related to public health pests, so as to be supportive and progressive in this area, through which to prepare national cadres specialized, especially that the number of citizens in this area very few, And obtained their expertise through study and attend workshops and specialized conferences held abroad.
The Director of the UAE Autism Center, Amal Sabri, highlighted the importance of the expansion of universities in the development of programs and specializations to care for those who are concerned about the high cost of integrating autistic students in schools, which confirmed that the main reason is the lack of university specialties that provide the job market with specialized graduates in this field Shadow "), pointing out that this shortage leads to dependence on non-citizens, which require the introduction of higher financial cost, which contributes to increase the operational cost of the centers.
A hotel official, Karam Fakhri, confirmed that the number of citizens working in the hospitality and hotel sector is very low, most of them hold administrative positions and senior positions, but rarely find a citizen in customer service or in other departments. The field is primarily due to the lack of academic programs offered, so there are no graduates looking for job opportunities in this area.
Fakhri pointed out that the hospitality sector in the UAE is one of the most important economic sectors. Therefore, the interest of universities in opening courses in tourism and hotels contributes to the creation of a specialized and professional generation of citizens and supports the success of tourism development plans in the UAE.
Linking specialization to the labor market
Nadaa Abdullah Al-Sharhan, Chairperson of the National Council for Education, Culture, Youth, Sports and Media, stressed on the importance of linking and directing academic disciplines and programs to suit the actual labor market requirements through an integrated system that guides the education sector according to the needs of the labor market within the next five years , And not in two or three years, especially in light of changing market requirements constantly, given the development.
"The labor market needs a database that outlines its future direction so that graduates will have the best choices when they become involved, rather than adopting a particular heritage and culture when choosing a specialization, including parents' ambitions for specific occupations for their children, In which the choices have grown, especially the private sector, where many graduates have achieved remarkable successes. "
On the other hand, the results of a study by the Ministry of Education on the "specializations required in the labor market" showed the importance of expanding the development of in-depth university majors instead of studying general disciplines.
Accounting and finance majors have emerged as the highest demand in the labor market, compared to the specialization of business administration, and the specializations of early childhood and private education have surpassed the general teaching specialization.
Undersecretary for Academic Affairs for Higher Education, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Mualla, told Emirates Al-Youm: "The Ministry of Education periodically reviews the unscheduled curricula and vital disciplines that need to open new courses to meet the country's development plans, labor market needs, We are also working on a survey of graduates of higher education institutions on a quarterly basis to determine their employment rates, places of employment, reasons why some do not have jobs, give results to universities, learn about the programs and programs that satisfy the market, and no longer meet their needs.
Al-Mualla added: "We have received requests from different sectors of the labor market, which define the specializations they need. The ministry, in turn, is working with universities to open academic programs aimed at meeting these needs. He pointed out that the ministry is currently reviewing university education programs to cover the needs of teachers The third seminar, which requires graduates specialized in materials, not a general teacher, especially after the requirements were covered in the first two seminars ».
Hamad Al-Rahoumi, Rapporteur of the Committee on Education, Culture, Youth, Sports and Media, called for the creation of a database for the Ministry of Education on the outcomes of higher education, its compatibility with the labor market and the availability of plans and policies to coordinate with the labor market sectors. He pointed out that the Council had made recommendations on this subject to the Council of Ministers, including the establishment of a central government database for the needs of the labor market present and future, and linking this rule with all public and higher education institutions and scholarship destinations in the country to determine the priority of specialization V required.
The recommendations also included a proposal to link the research of higher education institutions with the UAE's future vision strategy, the national plan for innovation under the umbrella of the National Commission for Scientific Research, and the granting of educational opportunities to the citizens of the state, the opening of faculties of government universities in some regions, In addition to the preparation of a study to develop the system of vocational and technical rehabilitation, through the introduction of colleges and institutes to accommodate students wishing to enroll ».
Master «Nursing Care»
The Dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Sharjah, Dr. Amina Al-Marzouki, revealed the development of a master's program in critical nursing care at the College. The program will be divided into the General Department, which attracts high school students, Bridging for those with a nursing diploma, and allows them to continue their studies to obtain a Bachelor of Nursing. She said during her participation in the conference «Excellence Nursing» that the programs have academic accreditation from the Ministry of Education, and is currently preparing for international accreditation.
Looking ahead to the future of the labor market
According to an official report of the Ministry of Education, the data is an integral part of the system of higher education in terms of policies and strategy, pointing out that the delay of the ministry in providing these data in the past, was due to the interruption of the relationship between the ministry and the student immediately after graduating.
The report, obtained by Al-Emarat Al-Youm, said: "The Ministry has tackled this error with the new structure. It has developed a Department of Alumni Affairs and the Labor Market. The Department's responsibilities include following up graduates, conducting labor market statistics and updating the higher education policy based on these statistics. , And this department is concerned with the disciplines required by the labor market, and guides the academic guidance to guide students to the required disciplines ». The report revealed the Ministry's direction to cooperate with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and private sector employers through the establishment of a joint committee to give the ministry feedback on the expected skills required in the future labor market to work on linking them to academic standards.
• Percentage of Emiratisation in nursing in Abu Dhabi.