• Al Dardari: Future Skills Academy contributes to opening horizons for millions of young people to contribute to the knowledge economy.

Dubai, UAE, 20 November 2024 - Building on the great turnout and positive results achieved by the “FutureSkills4All” initiative, the Knowledge Summit 2024 witnessed the inaugural meeting of the “Global Skills Coalition” (GSC), which aims to unify international efforts to develop and advance skills while moving the initiative to a new stage represented by the “Future Skills Academy”, the fruit of cooperation between the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Coursera, the educational platform, to provide free educational and training opportunities to 10 million learners by 2030.
MBRF and UNDP announced the opening of registration for the “Future Skills Academy” after the “FutureSkills4All” initiative was able to reach more than 9,000 learners, achieving a 165% utilization rate, with the number of courses offered through the Coursera portal reaching 6,000 courses and the number of beneficiaries reached 9,002, surpassing initial expectations and indicates the heavy turnout and large participation that exceeded the initial allocated number.
During the meeting, His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, pointed out the great importance of the GSC, stressing MBRF’s keenness to support this ambitious initiative by enhancing the “Future Skills Academy” project, which aims to provide innovative and comprehensive training opportunities that contribute to helping the largest possible segment of youth and professionals in the Arab region acquire the basic skills that qualify them to adapt to the rapid changes in the labor market and meet the needs of the knowledge-based economy. He noted that the GSC reflects MBRF’s belief that enabling individuals to access skills is not just an option but a strategic necessity to achieve sustainable development.
“Today, we reach the end of the first phase of FutureSkills4All, the pioneering initiative that provided thousands of educational and training opportunities for Arab youth and equipped them with the best and latest digital and personal skills and expertise. We announce the opening of registration for the second phase of the initiative, represented by the Future Skills Academy, through which we aspire to reach 10 million beneficiaries by 2030 so that we can continue with our partners in this project, UNDP and Coursera, to carry the message of spreading knowledge and education and contributing to preparing future generations to face the challenges of the future in the best possible way,” His Excellency said.
For his part, His Excellency Dr. Abdallah Al Dardari, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States, spoke during the meeting about the importance of focusing on enhancing productivity and building a sustainable knowledge economy in the Arab region, pointing out that the region suffers from low productivity, a problem that is not limited to poor countries but extends to rich ones, where productivity levels are equal on both sides, reflecting the urgent need for a deeper understanding of the idea of productivity as a real addition to knowledge and the economy.
His Excellency explained that building a strong knowledge economy requires clear and effective economic policies, in addition to a solid infrastructure that supports this approach, stressing the need to empower youth and provide them with the necessary skills to be major contributors to building this economy. He emphasized that the partnership with MBRF represents a pivotal step in achieving this goal, as it contributes to opening horizons for millions of young people who can contribute to the knowledge economy.
For his part, Dr. Andrew Ng, Chairman and Co-Founder of Coursera, stressed that the platform is proud to be part of this important coalition, which seeks to enhance human capabilities and enable individuals to acquire skills that meet the requirements of the future. He expressed his appreciation for the joint efforts made by the partners to identify the most in-demand skills in different regions, ensuring the provision of effective training courses that are in line with the needs of local and global markets.
Dr. Andrew explained that one of the most prominent challenges facing accelerated growth is the large number of people who need vocational training in light of the rapid transformations witnessed by the global economy, pointing out that achieving a strong and sustainable economy depends largely on qualifying individuals with high-quality skills. He added that achieving this requires integrated work and strong partnerships to ensure the provision of the best training solutions while pointing out at the same time the great impact that technology has on business and economic levels, and the importance of directing investments towards developing the skills of the human element to achieve a long-term impact that ensures the sustainability of economic and social development.
The top 10 training programs, according to the number of registered students, were Data Analyst, Cybersecurity, AI Engineer, Soft Skills Track, Software Engineering (Software Developer), Fresh Graduate Track, Data Engineer, Entrepreneurship, and Business English. The most important skills acquired were communication, management, problem-solving, decision-making, planning, people analysis, critical thinking, strategy and operations, data analysis, and business analysis.
The initiative thus moves to a new phase, titled expanding the scope of impact and benefit, by opening registration for the “Future Skills Academy,” which aims to reach millions of learners in the Arab region and provide them with advanced digital and personal skills to enable them to play their role in enhancing the sustainable economic growth of their communities.
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