Building the Future Workforce: How HR Can Close The Youth Skills Gap

Professor Fiona Robson, Heriot-Watt University, Dubai, writes on how to meet the diverse needs of the industry to ready graduates for employment.

OPINION PIECE

Professor Fiona Robson, Head of School of Social Sciences and Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Dubai

7/18/20266 min read

Is there an academic disconnect?

Universities work hard to be at the forefront of new discoveries and adapting their provision to meet the needs of employers in 2026 and beyond. However, it simply isn’t possible for them to cover every area that prospective employers are looking for – as they will often have diverse and contextual needs. Where possible, Universities include outward-facing opportunities for their students to engage with industry and organisations but this isn’t always easy for every discipline.

One of the key challenges is equipping students with the personal and professional skills that they need in the workplace – some of which are quite intangible. It is interesting that sometimes students report that they don’t have experience in areas such as decision-making and emotional intelligence – as they haven’t recognised where and when on their courses they developed these skills. Universities could therefore help HR teams by being explicit about the skills that they have developed and encouraging them to develop examples that they could use when applying for new jobs.

The changing world of HR

Traditionally the HR team were responsible for rolling out consistent training programmes for staff, from induction to continuous professional development, with annual programme repetition. In 2026, the value of HR teams is much more widely understood and they are seen as being crucial to the success of their organisation. One of the key roles is to undertake a learning needs analysis – to understand how the organisation is changing and what development activities are needed to upskill employees as well as identifying potential future trends. Understanding the specific needs of graduates should be part of the learning needs analysis process.

HR teams may also have the responsibility for recruiting and retaining new graduates – the talent for the future. To be able to do this they need to understand what will help their organisation stand out to potential graduates – what are they looking for in their career? Developing a reputation as an excellent employer of graduates will reap longer term rewards.

HR teams working with universities

It doesn’t have to be an us versus them scenario, there are now many opportunities for collaborations between HR teams and Universities to make best use out of each other’s expertise. This could involve having HR professionals on Advisory Boards and working with Careers teams to provide real-world opportunities for students to see what life is really like within organisations.

Universities may be able to help solve technological skills gaps more easily than workplaces who may not have the expertise to share with their new graduates – perhaps they have the technical skills but are less confident in ‘teaching’ it to their peers. For example; most University programmes incorporate AI which could be very beneficial for graduates and help them to make a contribution to their new employer.

In the Gulf region, there is a growing trend for Memorandums of Understanding between education providers and employers; to recognise the benefits that both parties can bring to the table. This provides exciting opportunities for students close to graduation who want to have the opportunity to network with potential future employers.

Spotting the University talent

Sometimes organisations get too hung up on the titles of qualifications or have very specific requirements about work experience. This can make it hard for new graduates who didn’t have the chance to work during the time they were studying. This could be turned to an advantage for employers who are prepared to dig a little deeper to understand the different ways that students may have been exposed to industry and the real world – perhaps by looking at their capstone projects or recognising where students have started to grow their networks by attending events.

The new talent are in the building

Identifying the new talent and recruiting them to organisations is a crucial step, but it is after this that the HR team become even more important. They will need to provide detailed and customised onboarding for new graduates, recognising the areas that they may feel anxious in and helping them to understand the unwritten rules. Whilst the graduates might understand the theory of workplace culture, they may be yet to experience it and understand how their role contributes towards this. Using previous graduates to mentor the fresh cohort can also be powerful as they will understand where the peaks and troughs might be.

To conclude, in this fast changing world there is a great opportunity for universities and employers to work together to mould and develop their future superstars.Is there an academic disconnect?

Universities work hard to be at the forefront of new discoveries and adapting their provision to meet the needs of employers in 2026 and beyond. However, it simply isn’t possible for them to cover every area that prospective employers are looking for – as they will often have diverse and contextual needs. Where possible, Universities include outward-facing opportunities for their students to engage with industry and organisations but this isn’t always easy for every discipline.

One of the key challenges is equipping students with the personal and professional skills that they need in the workplace – some of which are quite intangible. It is interesting that sometimes students report that they don’t have experience in areas such as decision-making and emotional intelligence – as they haven’t recognised where and when on their courses they developed these skills. Universities could therefore help HR teams by being explicit about the skills that they have developed and encouraging them to develop examples that they could use when applying for new jobs.

The changing world of HR

Traditionally the HR team were responsible for rolling out consistent training programmes for staff, from induction to continuous professional development, with annual programme repetition. In 2026, the value of HR teams is much more widely understood and they are seen as being crucial to the success of their organisation. One of the key roles is to undertake a learning needs analysis – to understand how the organisation is changing and what development activities are needed to upskill employees as well as identifying potential future trends. Understanding the specific needs of graduates should be part of the learning needs analysis process.

HR teams may also have the responsibility for recruiting and retaining new graduates – the talent for the future. To be able to do this they need to understand what will help their organisation stand out to potential graduates – what are they looking for in their career? Developing a reputation as an excellent employer of graduates will reap longer term rewards.

HR teams working with universities

It doesn’t have to be an us versus them scenario, there are now many opportunities for collaborations between HR teams and Universities to make best use out of each other’s expertise. This could involve having HR professionals on Advisory Boards and working with Careers teams to provide real-world opportunities for students to see what life is really like within organisations.

Universities may be able to help solve technological skills gaps more easily than workplaces who may not have the expertise to share with their new graduates – perhaps they have the technical skills but are less confident in ‘teaching’ it to their peers. For example; most University programmes incorporate AI which could be very beneficial for graduates and help them to make a contribution to their new employer.

In the Gulf region, there is a growing trend for Memorandums of Understanding between education providers and employers; to recognise the benefits that both parties can bring to the table. This provides exciting opportunities for students close to graduation who want to have the opportunity to network with potential future employers.

Spotting the University talent

Sometimes organisations get too hung up on the titles of qualifications or have very specific requirements about work experience. This can make it hard for new graduates who didn’t have the chance to work during the time they were studying. This could be turned to an advantage for employers who are prepared to dig a little deeper to understand the different ways that students may have been exposed to industry and the real world – perhaps by looking at their capstone projects or recognising where students have started to grow their networks by attending events.

The new talent are in the building

Identifying the new talent and recruiting them to organisations is a crucial step, but it is after this that the HR team become even more important. They will need to provide detailed and customised onboarding for new graduates, recognising the areas that they may feel anxious in and helping them to understand the unwritten rules. Whilst the graduates might understand the theory of workplace culture, they may be yet to experience it and understand how their role contributes towards this. Using previous graduates to mentor the fresh cohort can also be powerful as they will understand where the peaks and troughs might be.

To conclude, in this fast changing world there is a great opportunity for universities and employers to work together to mould and develop their future superstars.

Professor Fiona’s profile

linkedin.com/in/fionajrobson