Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
With the UAE betting big on its youth, schools and industries recognise a shared responsibility to guide this generation - and the next - and build the skills needed to drive the knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy of the future.
This International Youth Day, observed every August 12, education and industry leaders shared their views on how the country is raising the next innovators, leaders and changemakers.
When it comes to its national talent, the country has made its vision clear. "The UAE has shown that one of the smartest investments a nation can make is in its young people," said Rory Galvin, Director of Learning at International Schools Partnership – Middle East.
Kais Zribi, General Manager for the Middle East and Africa at Coursera, agreed that human capital has always been central to the country's growth story.
"More than five decades ago, the leadership recognised that building a diversified, knowledge-based economy would require deliberate and sustained investments in its people, particularly its youth," Zribi said.
Galvin added that this approach augurs well for young people as they are "growing up in a country that believes in their potential".
Professor Tenia Kyriazi, Deputy Director for Teaching and Learning, and Head of Law and Politics at Middlesex University Dubai, said the country's young, highly educated population gives it "a remarkably strong foundation" to build on.
Developing that talent, she said, means equipping the youth with critical thinking, communication, sound judgement and a lifelong learning mindset - skills that will matter most in a future shaped by AI.
"Academic and technical knowledge remain essential, but they are no longer sufficient on their own," she said. "Young people need to be adaptable, intellectually curious and confident working across disciplines, cultures and technologies."
The world is now moving toward "a skills-first environment", Zribi noted, where learning must translate into demonstrable, real-world capability.
His advice to young people: "The ability to continuously learn, adapt, and turn knowledge into meaningful outcomes will be your most valuable assets as you contribute to shaping the UAE's next chapter."
For employers, the task is to actively cultivate these skills in future leaders, said Caroline Hobeika, Chief Human Resources Officer at AWR Group. Investing in the youth, she said, "begins with a clear understanding of how leadership is evolving".
The next decision-makers will need technical expertise, adaptability and sound judgement, and these qualities are built by entrusting young people with meaningful responsibility and real opportunities to learn through experience.
"Development happens fastest when emerging talent is trusted with meaningful work, exposed to different parts of an organisation, given access to experienced mentors and leaders and encouraged to contribute their perspective," Hobeika said.
She urged young people to stay ambitious and curious, embrace new challenges, seek out responsibility, and remain open to lifelong learning. "The UAE has created a powerful platform for its young people to contribute to the country's next phase of growth," she said.
