From Degrees to Dynamic Skills

Is the Middle East ready for a skills-first talent market?

OPINION PIECE

Professor Fiona Robson, Head of the BDSS - Business, Design & Social Sciences & Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University Dubai

8/28/20263 min read

Sometimes people underestimate what Universities give to students – it definitely isn’t just about teaching them theory and then testing that they understand it. Over the last decade, University education has shifted to emphasise developing students that are employable by ensuring that they can apply their learning into the real world. Universities give students the opportunity to build their networks, understand industries, get exposure to professionals and start to develop their soft skills. In the Gulf region, students get the added bonus of being able to develop their cultural intelligence skills through working in diverse groups. Universities also play a critical role in supporting students to identify their career prospects and provide tailored support to maximise their chances of success.

There are some skills that are harder to replicate in the workplace, so learning and development teams should focus their efforts on areas such as stakeholder management, understanding organisational culture and cross-functional collaboration. It is also vital that recruiters don’t assume that all degree-holders are the same and require the same support and development.

Learning after University

Of course, learning doesn’t end at universities, and even after doing a Bachelor's degree, some students go on to do a Master's to enhance the depth of their knowledge and skills in preparation for future workplaces. In some industries, for example, healthcare, there may also be.

To stand out in the job market, having a degree alone may be insufficient these days and recruitment teams will be looking for graduates who have gone the extra mile to stand out from the crowd. This could include volunteering or part-time work experience, or even undertaking additional learning opportunities for personal growth.

Recruiting great staff

Employers shouldn’t create un-necessary barriers in the forms of having long lists of essential criteria which aren’t strictly pre-requisites for being able to do the role. In recruiting graduates, employers should try and assess their potential and not exclude people on the basis of not having prior work experience. There is also sometimes a risk that employers become hyper-focused on things such as previous job titles rather than the skills and knowledge that they could bring to the organisation. Employers should also think about how to best market themselves so that they are an attractive proposition to exciting new graduates.

Where there is a change such as a move to skills-focused hiring, this won’t happen automatically. There will need to be buy-in from all of the key stakeholders about the potential advantages it can bring and how the risk can be managed effectively. Then there will need to be training and support for selection panels to ensure that they can still perform their role in a transparent and equitable way, whilst opening up the potential talent pools.

Don’t forget about your existing talent!

There can be a temptation to focus on new talent and hiring them on a skills-first basis, however this runs the risk of losing out on some of the fantastic talent that they already have. Therefore, understanding their skills and capabilities is an important part of the bigger picture, as well as identifying those that have the potential and motivation to further build their skill set. In doing this it can be helpful to set aside job titles and formal organisational structures to get a real skills picture.

Retaining your talent

There has been a shift in what employees are looking for in employers and particularly in contexts where increasing financial packages is more challenging. One of the proactive things that they could do is to offer opportunities to complete micro-credentials. This can be a win-win scenario as it can motivate employees by enhancing their CV and at the same time the organisation can benefit from higher levels of skills and knowledge. Gaining a reputation as an employer who provides these types of opportunities is also useful.

Internal mobility is often an overlooked area, but it can bring many benefits to the organisational and ensure that they don’t lose out on tacit knowledge from experienced colleagues. Again, the focus here should be on where the skills shortages may be, and where in the organisation there may be people who could address this and add real value.

The future looks bright, but a little different

The strongest future talent systems are therefore likely to combine degrees, workplace experience, micro-credentials and evidence of applied capability, rather than requiring people to choose between them.

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