DOHA // The gap between what young people are taught and what potential employers require is fuelling regional youth unemployment.
About 20 per cent of the most educated in the UAE population have no jobs, and in some countries such as Saudi Arabia the figure is double that.
"When we talk about the readiness of graduates for the job market, education providers are much more optimistic … than employers and youth," Dr Mona Mourshed, leader of the Global Education Practice at the management consultants McKinsey, said yesterday.
"Most education institutions are not monitoring job placement traits or understanding what happens to youth after they leave their campus. That means we have a system that is designed to fail.
"Similarly, youth and their families do not get enough information to make decisions on what professions they should go after."
Dr Naji Al Mahdi, executive director of the National Institute for Vocational Education, said the root of the problem was the government requirement that every job seeker hold a secondary school leaving certificate.
The failure so far of authorities to recognise the value of technical or vocational training diminishes the job prospects of young people not suited to traditional education, Dr Al Mahdi believes.
"Unfortunately, the school certificate is overvalued in the UAE," he said. "It is built to discourage UAE nationals."
The UAE has yet to launch its National Equivalency Framework, which Dr Al Mahdi believes will provide "alternative roots of learning and acquiring skills".
Dr Christina Evans-Klock, director for skills and employability at the International Labour Organisation, said vocational education and apprenticeships should be widely available, but cautioned against a framework creaed without consultation with industry.
"If they come only from the education system and do not involve the employers it will only be a minute technical system that will still not focus on soft skills," she said.
Graduates' lack of soft skills, such as work ethics and teamwork, is the most troubling, Dr Mourshed said. Serious skills, such as those in the technical areas, are equally lacking.
"Large companies say they recruit for capabilities and character while small and medium enterprise say they hire the skill because they do not have the means to provide supplementary training," she said.
Khozema Z Shipchandler, regional vice president of the American multinational General Electric, the world's third-largest company, said it was in his GE's interest to employ locally but it was increasingly difficult to do so.
"Part of the issue is the resistance to certain kinds of jobs and a heavy reliance on government jobs to take care of the workforce," he said.
"As an employer, we find there are very specific skills missing in the workforce and a significant shortage of people well versed in mathematics and science and other technical fields."
In the UAE, more than 75 per cent of pupils in state high schools opt for literary subjects over science courses.
Dr Mourshed said McKinsey research showed employers were also often very hesitant to provide training, "because they can train this person and then they are approached by another company, so why should they bear the investment?"
Tax and investment incentives would encourage the private sector to promote local training and hiring, Mr Shipchandler said, while Dr Mourshed argued for "apprenticeship simulations".
"For example, we might have physical simulations at training facilities, or online simulations where youth play a game or make choices that an apprentice would have to make."
The experts were discussing the issue at the World Innovation Summit for Education, in Doha.
aahmed@thenational.ae
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
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Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
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Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
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Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
Company%20Profile
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Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
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Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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