KPMG joins Dubai academic organisation on future workforce study
Dubai International Academic City has joined with KPMG Lower Gulf to conduct a student and workforce study in support of the UAE’s transformation toward a knowledge economy.
Dubai International Academic City (DIAC – a special free zone for higher education institutes) has signed a strategic agreement with KPMG Lower Gulf and Dubai-based human capital organisation The Talent Enterprise to examine future workforce and student trends. The initiative aims to support the UAE’s transformation toward a leading knowledge economy in line with its national development strategies.
The collaborative study will in particular focus on university students’ career aspirations, employability and engagement with universities and future employers, with the findings to help shape a future roadmap to aid DIAC’s academic partners – which among many others includes University of Birmingham, Hult International Business School, and Michigan State University, with more than 500 programmes on offer.
“With the unprecedented pace of technological change causing shifts in the workplace, it is very important that we provide the latest future workforce trends to our academic partners so that they can equip the youth with the appropriate set of skills,” said DIAC Managing Director Mohammad Abdullah. “This partnership will enable us to gain actionable data, from which we can determine what more we can do for students.”
According to a press release, consultants from KPMG’s People & Change practice will provide insights from local employers on their shifting personnel and skills requirements, helping to derive practical solutions for students in their career development. “We are excited to be undertaking this initiative with DIAC and The Talent Enterprise,” said Marketa Simkova, People & Change head at KPMG Lower Gulf.
“We are well acquainted with the challenges businesses face when seeking to hire or develop a workforce with the right skills, capable of adapting to the future world of work. Employers are keen to better understand young adults’ preferences and motivations in order to attract, train and develop tomorrow’s workforce. We look forward to contributing to a project that benefits all stakeholders; industry, academia and students.”
The third member of the study partnership – The Talent Enterprise, which will “provide the tools and platform for data collection and analysis, and collaborate with KPMG to provide insights and findings” – describes itself as a tech-powered human capital ‘think and do’ tank, offering solutions in talent assessment, youth enablement and capability development grounded in behavioral science and research.
“Our partnership on the What About YOUth effort will allow us to achieve our common goals of providing insights on employability in the region,” said founder and CEO David Jones. “We are confident it will help us gain a deeper and more diverse understanding of what drives our youth today, which in turn will help educational institutions and employers maximise the success of future generations to come.”