Mideast’s young and talented have a chance to take wing

The late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan once said that “the real asset of any advanced nation is its people, especially the educated ones, and the prosperity and success of the people are measured by the standard of their education”. As the UAE, and the wider region, intensify existing efforts to diversify their economies and develop knowledge-based societies, it is apparent that the future success of the GCC will indeed be measured by the strength of its youth. The aviation industry in the region is a key contributor to economic diversification. And the space industry is one that is increasingly becoming important to even further diversification in the future.

But there are many other big advantages to a thriving aerospace and aviation sector in the Middle East than how it affects a nation’s GDP — and this is where education will prove key.

In the Arab world, the youth represents the fastest growing segment. In fact, 70 per cent of the region’s population is under 25 years-old. The aviation and aerospace industries rely on new technology and innovation — which young creative minds can bring to the table. And while there is an abundance of young talent in the Middle East, there is currently a real shortage globally.

The industry has already taken several bold steps to identify, encourage and train the next generation of aviation and aerospace experts in the UAE. If one adds to this the large number of initiatives launched by local and regional governments which focus on innovation, it’s easy to see why the Middle East is fast becoming an incubator of excellence for young, creative talent — and most especially those who are looking to make their mark on the aerospace and aviation sectors.

Harnessing future talents, at all levels, is the responsibility of every part of our industry. We must inspire a generation of entrepreneurship and encourage our talented youth to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers if we hope to push both the aviation and aerospace industries to new heights at a global level.

And in this vein, the future talents of the Middle East will indeed become the future talents of the world. A sentiment that is being echoed by regional governments who have invested heavily in not just aviation and aerospace but also education at all levels.

The UAE has long stated its commitment to investing in human capital by developing an education system that is one of the best in the world. And, not just in a traditional academic sense, but also in the manner that it equips the nation’s children with the skills that they need to address the current and future needs of the country as it evolves into a highly diversified economy.

In this increasingly inter-connected world, the strength of a nation’s or even an entire continent’s economy is heavily dependent upon its ability to build strong trade partnerships. As an industry, we should constantly be looking to the collaborations that we can forge and to the ways that we can develop and grow collectively to meet the changing demands of this ever-evolving world.

One of the areas where this will be most beneficial is the sharing of best practices in education and skills development.

We should not underestimate the importance of working with regional governments to train and develop the nation’s youth in the fields of aerospace and aviation and to instill passion from a young age. Not just for the continued development of the sectors in the region but for the benefits they can bring to the industries globally.

We believe that we have touched but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring opportunities for meaningful partnerships between the region and the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to harnessing local talent. We know that we must constantly be looking for new mediums and new platforms upon which to engage young people in the industries shaping the future of their region.

And so, it may very well be the case that the real asset of the UAE and the region — its talented and educated people — also becomes one of the most significant assets of the aviation and aerospace industries globally.

The writer is an expert on

the aviation industry

 

Mideasts young and talented have a chance to take wing

The late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan once said that the real asset of any advanced nation is its people, especially the educated ones, and the prosperity and success of the people are measured by the standard of their education. As the UAE, and the wider region, intensify existing efforts to diversify their economies and develop knowledge-based societies, it is apparent that the future success of the GCC will indeed be measured by the strength of its youth. The aviation industry in the region is a key contributor to economic diversification. And the space industry is one that is increasingly becoming important to even further diversification in the future. But there are many other big advantages to a thriving aerospace and aviation sector in the Middle East than how it affects a nations GDP and this is where education will prove key. In the Arab world, the youth represents the fastest growing segment. In fact, 70 per cent of the regions population is under 25 years-old. The aviation and aerospace industries rely on new technology and innovation which young creative minds can bring to the table. And while there is an abundance of young talent in the Middle East, there is currently a real shortage globally. The industry has already taken several bold steps to identify, encourage and train the next generation of aviation and aerospace experts in the UAE. If one adds to this the large number of initiatives launched by local and regional governments which focus on innovation, its easy to see why the Middle East is fast becoming an incubator of excellence for young, creative talent and most especially those who are looking to make their mark on the aerospace and aviation sectors. Harnessing future talents, at all levels, is the responsibility of every part of our industry. We must inspire a generation of entrepreneurship and encourage our talented youth to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers if we hope to push both the aviation and aerospace industries to new heights at a global level. And in this vein, the future talents of the Middle East will indeed become the future talents of the world. A sentiment that is being echoed by regional governments who have invested heavily in not just aviation and aerospace but also education at all levels. The UAE has long stated its commitment to investing in human capital by developing an education system that is one of the best in the world. And, not just in a traditional academic sense, but also in the manner that it equips the nations children with the skills that they need to address the current and future needs of the country as it evolves into a highly diversified economy. In this increasingly inter-connected world, the strength of a nations or even an entire continents economy is heavily dependent upon its ability to build strong trade partnerships. As an industry, we should constantly be looking to the collaborations that we can forge and to the ways that we can develop and grow collectively to meet the changing demands of this ever-evolving world. One of the areas where this will be most beneficial is the sharing of best practices in education and skills development. We should not underestimate the importance of working with regional governments to train and develop the nations youth in the fields of aerospace and aviation and to instill passion from a young age. Not just for the continued development of the sectors in the region but for the benefits they can bring to the industries globally. We believe that we have touched but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring opportunities for meaningful partnerships between the region and the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to harnessing local talent. We know that we must constantly be looking for new mediums and new platforms upon which to engage young people in the industries shaping the future of their region. And so, it may very well be the case that the real asset of the UAE and the region its talented and educated people also becomes one of the most significant assets of the aviation and aerospace industries globally. The writer is an expert on the aviation industry