Over the next decade the UAE’s industrial strategy, Operation 300 billion, aims to develop the industrial sector and enhance its role in stimulating the national economy.
The engineering sector must work closely with educators if the UAE is going to inspire and enable the next generation of Emiratis to become world-class innovators of the future, according to a new report.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) released findings from its UAE Skills Survey report that lays bare the skills gap currently facing the emirates’ engineering industry, as well as the skills prospects for the next decade.
The findings cast a positive light on the expansion of the industry over the past year, with almost half (48 percent) of engineering and technology firms seeing a growth in their business and one in five reporting a large increase in staff numbers.
However, in 2021 the majority struggled to fill vacancies with more than nine in ten (93 percent) UAE engineering employers finding it difficult to recruit new staff.
The report also highlights the quality of new recruits who joined the sector that challenged many businesses with 58 percent of large companies (those with over 500 employees) saying they are struggling to find applicants with the right technical skills.
Other challenges facing engineering employers include pressure on wages (34 percent), increased remote working (23 percent), and staff retention and turnover (23 percent).
Most employers are confident they can address the skills gap as their businesses diversify into new ones.
Data showed that almost 90 percent of engineering employers are confident they will be able to access the training needed to meet their goals in the next five years, with two thirds (66 percent) looking to implement training to address their skills gap by turning to professional training bodies, such as the IET, to meet their needs.
According to the study, unlike many other countries, the view of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates is a positive one across the UAE, with over half (54 percent) of those who employ entry-level employees considering university education to be very effective in preparing them for the workplace. As the UAE engineering sector diversifies in the coming years, it will be critical for employers and educators to work together to shape the skills pipeline for their industry.
