His Excellency Omar Bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, today delivered the keynote address at GEMS Xhibit, a high-profile technology and innovation showcase hosted by GEMS Education. GEMS X, GEMS Education’s future-focused innovation and R&D unit, and GEMS Student Employment initiative, which aims to offer experiential learning for students, was also launched.
A first-of-its-kind initiative, GEMS Xhibit highlighted the tech-innovation skills of students before industry experts and underpinned the value that innovation brings to education and how it contributes to shaping the future of young people. GEMS X launched its consultation on the “Future of Work and Skills”, inviting industry leaders and academia to engage in shaping research and policies on nurturing and developing the upcoming generation of problem-solvers, workforce and innovators.
A panel discussion was also held attended by Dr. Sayd Farooq, Advisor, The Executive Office (The Prime Minister’s Office), Sayed Hashish, Regional General Manager of Microsoft; Dee Dissanayake, Success Executive at Oliv and Dino Varkey, CEO, GEMS Education. The session was moderated by Vishweswar Eswaran, a GEMS Education student.
The panel answered a series of questions related to Skills for the Future and emphasised how potential employers need to update ways of working to suit new graduates. Dr Sayd Farooq, Advisor, The Executive Office, said: “Young people are increasingly asking what large organisations are doing to make a difference. If fresh talent is to join a huge operation, the new wave of talent wants to know what impact they will have on the world, and whether it means something. It is up to large organisations to ensure meaning and relevance remains, and to make sure fresh graduates feel valued.”
One the side-lines of the event, GEMS Education also announced their strategic partnership with Oliv who will be assisting students for their preparation to the workforce by finding suitable placements, helping with CV and portfolio creation. GEMS students will also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of employment programs from volunteer work, paid internships, apprenticeships and summer jobs.
Dino Varkey, CEO, GEMS Education, said: “At GEMS Education, we focus on promoting the innovation and creative skills of our students. The GEMS Xhibit served as an excellent platform for our talented students to showcase their impressive talents to heads of industry. It also offered a perfect complement for us to launch our GEMS Student Employment programme that enables our students to gain real-world experience. A GEMS-wide initiative, it will leverage our extensive network and partnerships to offer students the opportunity to hone their skills with industry leaders in the region and beyond.”
All attendees were also given the chance to participate in a student versus business challenge. A ‘challenge statement’ was provided and the participants were required to demonstrate problem solving, critical thinking and global awareness capabilities. The challenge saw many businesses’ solutions critiqued by the exhibiting students leading to engaging discussions and action points.
Following the new Federal law allowing for youth employment, key partner and careers platform – Oliv also conducted a talent hunt to engage the GEMS Education students with leading employers as well as hosted a professional video CV recording. A GEMS-wide initiative, a first of its kind utilizing its extensive network and range of partnerships working with industry leaders in the region and beyond.
World-renowned brands such as Coca Cola, Bosch, Chalhoub Group and more looking to hire interns and graduates took part in the event.
Jean-Michel Gauthier, CEO and co-founder, Oliv, said: “It’s estimated that 65 percent of children entering kindergarten this year will work in jobs that don’t exist yet. Academia is changing and has to keep up with today’s rapidly accelerating market skill demands. We’re seeing the lines between school and the workplace start to blur to get today’s workforce ready for tomorrow – which is why Oliv is extending its opportunities and resources to high school students to get our youth immersed earlier than ever. The GEMS Xhibit marks an important milestone in the landscape of the region’s evolving talent market.”
