UAE professionals seek qualifications to boost career

A new study into the options available for individuals to study with higher education institutions has revealed that professionals in the UAE are seeking an internationally recognised higher education qualification or an international accredited professional certificate to position themselves better in an increasingly competitive job market.

The research, conducted by YouGov, surveyed 1,008 respondents online in the UAE to better understand their higher education needs and their views on the current options available to pursue higher education across the Emirates.

The findings indicate that demand for more institutions to offer post graduate qualifications in the region will increase with 61 per cent of the overall sample claiming they will be studying towards a post graduate degree or professional certificate in the next 3 - 5 years. Over half (54 per cent) of the sample also claimed they would prefer to have a degree from a foreign university.

Respondents revealed the main motivation for studying further education was to increase their chances of promotion or a pay rise in their current job (34 per cent). There was also a specific demand for flexible studying with the majority (67 per cent) stating that they would want to work and study at the same time.

The study presented an opportunity for the higher education sector to produce internationally recognised MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) to meet the market need. Indeed, 57 per cent of the overall sample stated that they had little or no knowledge of MOOCs, but of those that were aware of them - 54 per cent claimed they would consider taking a course online.

This demonstrates the value higher education institutions could bring to students by broadening their offering and adding MOOCs as well as professional certificates to their curriculum to cater for the growing professional development sector.

Dr Kota Reddy of Manipal University Dubai stated that although face to face teaching is important, ‘teaching will be most effective with the blended teaching methodology with a massive open online courses (MOOCs)’. This will give students the flexibility to attend certain face to face lessons and experience the human factor in learning, while also covering other course material at their own pace online.

YouGov’s Mena Managing Director, Kailash Nagdev, commented, “With its largely expatriate and young national workforce, the UAE remains a strong market for further education in the Mena region. However, the hunger for alternative formally-recognized qualifications and the void of awareness of such courses reveals a significant opportunity for higher education providers to further help young talent make a start on the career ladder.”

“To drive enrolment, international universities and certificate providers need to not only listen to students’ needs, such as providing more flexible learning and formally-recognized qualifications, but also be creative about the ways in which they offer and promote them, such as combining offline and online learning methodologies that are better recognized by employers.”