72% of Foreign students to stay in UAE after graduating

As the UAE’s knowledge-based economy forges ahead on the eve of Expo 2020, it has become vital to understand what drives the future workforce.

Results from a study released on Sunday found students thought the UAE was an attractive place to work. The Qudurat Student Wave study was conducted by Aon Hewitt in conjunction with Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) and covered 2,300 students from more than 15 academic institutions.

The study a part of the largest pioneering research initiative know as Qudurat, meaning capabilities in Arabic, is dedicated to understanding the strengths, preferences and orientation of higher education students towards the world of work. It also emphasis on understanding what drives and motivates Emirati talent.

72 per cent of the students surveyed said they intended to stay and work in the UAE after graduating. One in every two transnational expatriates who specifically came to the UAE to pursue higher education said they would like to work here after graduation.

Campus placements emerge as the most popular source for finding jobs among the students.

Emirati residential students reported a stronger preference for jobs in support and general management functions. Career opportunities emerged as the single most important criteria for expatriate students when selecting a job in the country.

Academic qualifications according to Emirati students should be the key differentiator in determining pay as opposed to the prestige of the graduating school or quality of experience among other things.

Presentation skills, teamwork and time management emerged as the three most prevalent training programmes provided to students.

Dr Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director of Tecom Holdings- DIAC and Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) told Gulf News: “Our objective in conducting such an incisive survey on diversity and inclusion is to serve our student community. In the UAE we have the highest concentration of international campuses anywhere in the world and we continuously improvise and examine the requirement for new courses in our attempt to bridge the gap between industry and academia. This year we have introduced 35 new programmes in response to the dialogue and discussion we had with the industry on their needs and expectations from fresh graduates. We are having this forum to share the outcomes of the survey with our academic partners and looking at how to develop entrepreneurial skills in fresh graduates, pinpoint the need for other changes and we intend to continue to gauge industry expectations and improve upon the capabilities of the workforce that is being prepared at our university campuses.”

The survey comprised of 57 questions including 13 demographic questions. The research design was based on five topics — self, career, others, study environment, and identity.