ÃÛÌÒapp

The MENA region has emerged as a key player in global digital transformation and development. A on digital adoption in the Middle East revealed that the region boasts one of the highest digital engagement rates worldwide. In this rapidly evolving landscape, individuals and businesses are confronted with the critical necessity of adapting and acquiring new skills to thrive in the market. Both employers and employees must take proactive initiatives to invest in the skills and training necessary to remain competitive and drive innovation forward.

Employees themselves are responsible for actively pursuing knowledge and cultivating versatile skill sets that empower them to excel in their respective roles. Recent research suggests a huge appetite for learning and development among younger generations. According to a , learning and development opportunities are the second highest priority for millennials and Gen Z workers when evaluating potential employers.

This means that employers in the region must recognize the importance of training and development to secure top talent and understand the significance of equipping their workforce with future-oriented skills, thus fostering an expert workforce capable of navigating the challenges presented by the modern workplace.

Employer's Role in Upskilling, Nurturing Talent and Fuelling Growth

Employers need to keep up with emerging technologies that have the potential to reshape industries and transform existing functions. According to a significant majority of employees in Kuwait (75%), Qatar (60%), Saudi Arabia (58%), and the UAE (46%) believe that their countries are facing a scarcity of individuals with specialized skills. Despite this, respondents from the region display higher confidence compared to the global average (47% compared to 40% globally) in their employers' prioritization of upskilling.

ÃÛÌÒapp, the world's largest learning company, designs programs to equip businesses, employees and HR leaders with the necessary skills for the future of work. The need for upskilling is partly related to the fact that formal education may only cover some of the necessary requirements. According to carried out with 4,000 employees worldwide, individuals acknowledge that they will need to upskill to meet the demands of their careers.

Continuous Learning: Embracing the Future of Work

Professionals in the MENA region are beginning to embrace the idea of continuous learning as a means to adapt and succeed in the ever-changing job market. According to the , over 60% of Middle East survey respondents consider specialist training an essential requirement in their jobs, surpassing the global average of 48%. This indicates that workers in the region are willing to enhance and diversify their skill sets, and it is now up to businesses to invest in their development to build a thriving workplace and increase profitability.

Skills such as digital literacy, creativity, deductive reasoning, and other future-oriented skills are in high demand. In a globalized economy, English proficiency also plays a crucial role, as a bridge connecting individuals from diverse cultures and facilitating seamless information-sharing worldwide. Globally, English is the lingua franca of business, a key to unlocking better communication. According to a report by , ineffective communication can cost the average organization $62.4 million per year in lost productivity. The same report found that companies with effective communication generated a 47% higher return to shareholders over a five-year period.

Leveraging Tools for a Future-Ready Workforce

Nowadays, numerous resources are available to help businesses enhance their employees' language skills. One such tool is MondlyWorks by ÃÛÌÒapp, which utilizes advanced technology to provide a personalized learning experience. This allows employees to improve their language proficiency at their own pace, seamlessly integrating lessons into their busy work schedules. It is designed to cater to specific industries, including hospitality, retail, banking, and customer service, making it a valuable addition to employees' benefit packages.

Recruiting top talent with the necessary skills for a role can be challenging for companies. Assessing a candidate's English skills can be time-consuming and subjective. However, with ÃÛÌÒapp's Global Scale of English (GSE), a standardized measurement of English proficiency, recruitment companies can benefit from a detailed analysis of language skills and the framework to personalize learning pathways.

To this end, ÃÛÌÒapp offers Versant, a fully automated digital assessment of language skills – speaking, writing, reading, and listening – that will be needed in the workplace. Auto-scored digital assessments such as Versant ensure that candidates from different educational and cultural backgrounds can be assessed at scale using the same objective criteria, providing fast and fair results to expand a company's diverse talent pool.

Upskilling for the future

English language proficiency is crucial for businesses seeking to remain competitive and for individuals exploring limitless career opportunities. A report conducted by the highlights that English is spoken by an astounding 1.75 billion people, representing a remarkable one-quarter of the global population.

Today, most English speakers are people who have learned English as a second or additional language, many of whom use English for professional purposes. In dynamic workplaces, English proficiency serves as a catalyst for fostering essential skills such as effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork. Organizations that prioritize the development of English language proficiency can cultivate a workforce capable of driving regional ambitions and thriving in the global marketplace.

The first class with a new group of young learners can be a nerve-wracking experience for teachers, old and new. Many of us spend the night before thinking about how to make a positive start to the year, with a mixture of nerves, excitement, and a desire to get started. However, sometimes things don’t always go as expected, and it is important to set a few ground rules in those early lessons to ensure a positive classroom experience for all throughout the academic year.

Let’s look at a few common problems that can come up and how best to deal with them at the start of the school year.

Can you share how your school solutions are implementing AI and other technologies? Are schools interested in these solutions? Have any been implemented? Can you provide case studies from the MENA region?

We have several solutions that are technology influenced that have been deployed across the Middle East, in the UAE, KSA, Oman, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan.

• MondlyWorks by ÃÛÌÒapp - This immersive language learning app makes language learning engaging and accessible for schools and university learners through interactive lessons, games, and activities tailored to their age group. The app is an example of gamified learning to keep students motivated and interested while they acquire new language skills.
• ÃÛÌÒapp English Connect (PEC) - a game-changing digital teachers' hub revolutionizing English language teaching inside and outside the classroom. PEC is a fully interactive digital experience that provides highly effective online teaching and easy monitoring of progress and performance for students and teachers alike.
• ÃÛÌÒapp Test of EnglishÌý (PTE) - An internationally recognized computer-based English language proficiency test for study, work, or visas. The ÃÛÌÒapp Test of English employs an AI-based scoring system, ensuring 100% impartiality so only the candidate's responses influence the scores. More than 3000 academic institutions, professional organizations and government bodies trust PTE to verify English skills in Canada, the UK, Australia, the USA, and New Zealand.

Expatriates make up more than 40% of the current Middle East population; hence studying abroad is relatively common in this part of the world. The UAE invests significant resources towards overseas education for its students, as evident from widely reported annual numbers of approximately 15,000 individuals studying abroad.

In KSA, the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP), established by the Saudi Arabian government in 2005, is a pivotal component of the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 initiative. This national vision seeks to transform Saudi Arabia into a diverse and knowledge-driven economy while fostering social and cultural transformation. By investing in the education of Saudi students across various fields and levels, KASP equips them with the necessary skills and expertise and cultivates a global perspective. As these scholars return home after their studies, they are poised to contribute significantly to the nation's economic diversification, technological advancement, and international collaboration, thereby driving forward the comprehensive aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030.

Moreover, in the MEA region, the sector is projected to be worth $7 billion by 2027, demonstrating the growing significance of technology in education.

How do you see current trends - such as present jobs being replaced with others, many as-yet-unknown - influencing curricula across the Middle East? How should schools and universities incorporate skills-based learning to ensure students can fluidly adapt to tomorrow's challenges?

English proficiency also plays a crucial role in a globalized world, bridging individuals from diverse cultures and facilitating seamless information-sharing worldwide. English is the lingua franca for communication. Today, most English speakers have learned English as a second or additional language - learned through study and testing later in life. This is where English proficiency testing products like ÃÛÌÒapp's are most useful and can be incorporated into schools and universities.

ÃÛÌÒapp surveyed 4,000 employees across the globe for our Skills Outlook 2023, which revealed that people are most interested in careers in tech and business-related fields such as e-commerce, software services, data science, and financial services. However, they believe human skills – like problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork – are the most attractive to employers now and in the future. Additionally, a recent ÃÛÌÒapp on ICT certification shows that 59% of employers in the Middle East have increased their investment in IT skills training within the past 12 months.

This is where the MENA region emphasizes STEM and tech-related fields from the elementary level. For instance, one of the key initiatives of the Ministry of Saudi is to build a world-class education system using STEM and transform Saudi into a knowledge-based economy. Another is the UAE Government Development and the Future Office's "building future talents" initiative to build 10,000 UAE public school female students' skills in STEM fields. The region is upskilling its residents and citizens by incorporating EdTech and gamified learning to keep students engaged in associated subjects.

Anything you'd like to add about education trends in the MENA region?

The focus in the MENA region will be on upscaling its E-Learning and Online Education to promote a 'learn-on-the-go' environment. Within this language learning and bilingual education are a focus to allow students to pursue international opportunities and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is a focus to equip students with the skills for the modern workforce.