JEDDAH – With youth employment prospects still a massive challenge in the Arab world, education for employability initiatives are driving key reforms in education curriculums throughout the region. At the forthcoming Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) 2103 exhibition on March 5-7 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, education for employability takes a spotlight in several key presentations at the Global Education Forum, an initiative of the Ministry of Education of the UAE. According to Education for Employment: Realizing Arab Youth Potential, a report published by the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporate and the Islamic Development Bank Group, one out of four young people in the Arab world is unemployed, costing the region more than about $50 billion each year. “The solution to this massive challenge requires a comprehensive approach involving a broad range of stakeholders. Behind every crisis is an opportunity, and through the Global Education Forum at GESS, we are pushing this to the forefront of discussions on education reforms,” said Humaid Al Qatami, under whose leadership the Global Education Forum has grown as an important platform for discussing development issues in education not just in the UAE, but also throughout the Arab world. Among the high profile speakers presenting the latest developments in the field of education for employability initiatives include Dr Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director, Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City, Education Cluster, TECOM Investments, who has been responsible for strategically steering all DIAC and DKV academic entities and further consolidating their statuses as leading centres of learning excellence in the region. “In a region with the world's highest youth joblessness rate, millions are out of work because they do not have the skills that match the requirements of the workplace. As part of the Global Education Forum, we have gathered the world's leading experts on skills training and education for employability to build the capacity of education systems throughout the region to provide young people the skills they need to become productive members of society,” said Matt Thompson, Project Director, F&E Group, organizers of GESS. The upcoming event is under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. — SG
