Shaping Next Gen for a better workforce

OUR CORRESPONDENT / Emirates Business

With half of its population under the age of 25, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has the second youngest population among world regions after sub-Saharan Africa, and it will be greatly altered in the next decade. During the Insead’s Middle East Career Development Conference (MECDC), industry experts emphasised upon providing a pool of cohesive conditions to youngsters to develop their professional acumen while preparing them for their future careers.
“It is critical to prepare the next generation with the right skills to adapt to and thrive in such a fast-changing environment,” said Miguel Lobo, Director of the Middle East Campus in Abu Dhabi and Associate Professor of Decision Science at Insead.
Preparing the next generation for the future of work was the central theme at the fourth MECDC, which was hosted by the leading international business school Insead, in partnership with The Talent Enterprise.
“Our research at The Talent Enterprise suggests that only 48 percent of students believe that their education is preparing them for their future careers. The world of work is changing very fast and the 21st century workplace requires 21st century skills,” said David Jones, CEO and Labour Market Economist at The Talent Enterprise. “The concept of a ‘job for life’ no longer exists. Employers are looking for young people who are driven, have learning agility, a growth mindset, grit, resilience, confidence, a sense of collaboration and flexibility. Sadly, these skills for life aren’t emphasised or pro-actively developed within their formative years and we are hopeful of changing the status quo through our positive education programmes,” pointed out Jones.
Wassim Hamad, Public Sector Lead – LinkedIn Talent Solutions, MENA, said, “At LinkedIn, our longer-term vision is to map the world’s first economic graph. By connecting the world’s professionals, jobs, skills and educational institutions, we hope to reduce friction in the system, and offer schools and places of further education the opportunity to see which skills are in growing demand, and adapt their curriculum to fit.”