The Road
New skills and the new collar worker
With the rise of new collar workers, panellists at the recent QS Higher Ed Summit: Middle East 2024 discuss why and how universities can still play a relevant role for students looking to step into the working world.
By Eugenia Lim
In an increasingly competitive job market, a university degree alone no longer guarantees success. Global companies are prioritising skills over a traditional university degree, leaving universities to rethink and reevaluate on how their students can graduate with the relevant skills, tools and resilience needed to thrive in an evolving job market.
Additionally, driving forces such as the rapid technological progress, and sustainability are shaping the future skills students will need in their careers. Speaking as a moderator at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Middle East 2024 in the UAE, Samit Lotlikar, Institutional Research Manager at Zayed University ask panellists how the rise of new-collar workers, referring to highly skilled workers who do not have a university degree, has affected the higher education industry in the Middle East.
“The idea of a new collar worker for me ties to the idea of lifelong learning and how we develop that and not confine individuals just to a four year degree,” says Dr Baishakhi Taylor, Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at New York University Abu Dhabi.
Dr Taylor is quick to highlight that university degrees are likely not the only path forward, but it does not mean that the entire concept of higher education is going to change.
Universities will continue to be relevant and necessary, she believes, especially with the dual demands for higher education institutions to build students’ knowledge in their respective fields while fostering competencies such as emotional intelligence and conflict management skills.
“We really need to partner even better within the university,” says Dr Taylor, referring to the work that faculty will need to do in order to teach in the classroom and create opportunities for internship.
“It's a constant engagement with employers all across the industries all over the world,” she adds.
Industry experience crucial
In order for universities to ensure their curriculums include real-world application of skills, Dr Senthil Nathan, Managing Director at Edu Alliance, says it is crucial for faculty to have relevant industry experience.
He describes the current status quo as “Blind leading the blind”, highlighting that teaching staff in higher education institutions in the region do not typically need to have any industry experience to teach in the classroom.
For instance, he shares that after scanning LinkedIn for assistant professor positions in UAE, not one job posting had asked for industry experience
“When you don't even expect the real life experience, what are you going to interpret? And how are they (teaching staff) going to design pedagogy?” asks Dr Nathan, explaining that he is a long-time proponent for universities to rethink such hiring practices for faculty in order to enhance their curriculum offerings to students.
Vetting & valuing skills
The panellists also discuss if it is a feasible idea for universities in the Middle East to work with companies to implement a skills based hiring system.
Carl Manlan, Visa’s Vice President, Inclusive Impact & Sustainability, Central & Eastern Europe Middle East and Africa, turns the question on its head.
“The real question is, how do we value skills that have not been vetted by an academic institution,” points out Manlan, bringing in the example of a successful business person who has not been to school.
“Can we take those skills and bring them into the classroom?” he asks.
Meanwhile, New York University Abu Dhabi’s DrTaylor underscores that while both industry professionals and academics on the panel agree that change is required in the vetting and valuing of future skills, however “the moment of transition is taking longer than what any of us at this point would like”.
“How do we make some of the changes happen faster and not take 30 years? Because we are losing an opportunity,” she says. “How do we shift the needle in terms of the time and implementation?”
Dr Taylor thinks it will require a longer process as many other stakeholders must be involved - going beyond faculty and students, but also parents. But she expresses confidence in the higher education industry’s ability to adapt. Taking Harvard’s 300-year history as an example, Dr Taylor says tradition and innovation work hand in hand, but the question on time and implementation of this change is still up in the air.
Meanwhile, Edu Alliance’s Dr Nathan says that universities must be authorities of assessment and validation of skills, and higher education institutions should commission for such academic accreditation.
“These people should take it seriously and really help the industry. Industry cannot do that, at least in this region,” adds Dr Nathan.
Framework for mentoring & coaching
There is no doubt that networking is integral in a student’s success within the working world. Apart from mandated internships in university, a strong framework to support local talent is also needed. But students in the Middle East may be confronted with difficulty in finding companies that will encourage mentorship and grow their careers.
“In the UAE and probably in many of the Gulf countries, it is designed to be very business oriented,” says Dr Nathan.
“They just bring in talent from wherever they have to get things done and at a profit, except for a few public sector companies which have a mandate for localisation,” says Dr Nathan.
“We have to think whether we have the framework in the country in the region to do this, and to start working from government side regulations.”
He says the government must step in and regulate in order for a local talent pool to grow, ensuring that every company has a mandate to coach, mentor and develop like a federal government entity.
Instilling culture of skills-based assessments
Panellists were lastly asked how students could adapt to a culture of skills-based assessments, which is common in the corporate world.
Manlan shares that at Visa, an “internal university” helps teach skills based on the different competencies of a staff member in order to boost learning while pursuing their careers.
“But ultimately, it's individual's responsibility to define the path once they enter company,” says Manlan.
Adding on, Dr Nathan suggests that this area can be built with the help of AI, explaining that feedback is commonly met with human resistance.
“If I can get feedback in an objective way, but in a non threatening way, probably I could improve those skills. So that's something that the AI industry could think (about) how can they help.”