Today's Edition
Mays Ibrahim (ABU DHABI)
The UAE has emerged as a global leader in embracing the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) education, according to the Global Skills Report 2024, recently issued by Coursera, a leading online learning platform.
Its findings revealed that the UAE has experienced a remarkable 1,102% year-over-year (YoY) surge in GenAI enrolments, outpacing both the MENA region’s 861% growth and the global increase of 1,060%.
The report draws on data and insights from over 148 million learners and 7,000 institutional customers and content from 325 top university and industry partners worldwide.
UAE Leads in Region
Ranking first in the Middle East and North Africa and 34th globally for overall skill proficiency, the UAE also secured the second position worldwide for business proficiency, scoring an impressive 99%.
As of Q1 2024, the UAE boasts over 1 million Coursera learners, with a median age of 35 years, of whom 42% engage in learning through mobile devices. Notably, 33% of these learners are women, with 27% in STEM fields.
The report identified key skills prioritised by UAE learners, including leadership development, resilience, blockchain, and supply chain systems, preparing them for roles such as operations manager, IT project manager, and business analyst.
“This aligns with the UAE’s focus on business intelligence and digital transformation roles, both expected to grow significantly. However, with 82% of UAE workers seeking more training for career confidence, further skill development is crucial,” it stated.
The report further revealed that enrolments in professional certificates on Coursera within the UAE have surged by 40% YoY, driven by substantial demand in areas such as data analytics, project management, and digital marketing & e-commerce.
AI Literacy: A Global Imperative
The 2024 report identified a global recognition of the necessity to cultivate AI proficiency, catalysed by the 2022 launch of ChatGPT, with GenAI course enrolments surging by 1,060% globally over the past year.
“The rise of generative AI (GenAI) underscores the pressing need for new and innovative strategies to build a competitive workforce. Jobs and industries stand on the cusp of profound transformation, with two-thirds of jobs exposed to some degree of automation and GenAI poised to deliver $4.4 trillion in productivity gains to the global economy. In response, businesses, governments, and higher education institutions must coordinate their efforts to equip people with critical skills,” said Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera.
The marked surge in GenAI course enrolments in the UAE aligns with the country’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, aiming to establish global leadership in AI by the end of this decade.
According to the report, learners in the UAE are strengthening their foundational AI skills through courses such as Google Cloud’s Introduction to GenAI, Vanderbilt University’s Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT, and DeepLearning.AI’s GenAI with LLM.
