Are unconventional courses becoming popular in UAE?

Students now can easily relate to disagreements with families on picking careers that are not traditional.

Given the UAE's fast-paced growth and the government's vision of promoting innovation as a drive for the future, the government has been opening new fields and programmes to train students as well as public and private sector professionals to unite their efforts in contributing to a better future.

The Dubai Future Academy, for example, was launched last month as part of the Dubai Future Foundation's initiatives to increase awareness of more than 500 public and private sector officials about strategic sectors of the future and subjects related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2016 issued by the World Economic Forum, the UAE was ranked first regionally and 16th globally, maintaining its lead among the top 20 competitive economies in the world.

As the report surveys the economies of 138 countries rated through 12 basic indexes among which Higher Education and Training occupies the fifth pillar, it shows that the index displays the importance of training in any country, according to Laura Alina Radu, executive consultant of LARCIE that manages social and business etiquette and professional image consulting.

Radu noted that in today's fast-changing world, different disciplines overlap in any field, requiring the learning of a wide set of skills.

"When taking different extracurricular courses, students expand their horizons and develop social skills. Learning social and business etiquette, for example, helps them avoid embarrassing moments in social situations and at the workplace, and helps grow their confidence and opens their eyes to the importance of body language," said Radu.

Lately, the UAE saw the opening of the first focused Fashion Business Management and Fashion Design College to receive local accreditation from the Ministry of Education - Higher Education Affairs, set to start operations on January 9. The College of Fashion and Design (CFD) will provide diploma and bachelor's degrees.

According to the college's president and CEO, Prof Abhilasha Singh, higher education providers should take note to address the gaps in various industries. "We have witnessed a huge influx of graduates from conventional academic programmes. The paradigm is now shifting to the niche market, and that's where we should work to provide programmes that satisfy various new fields," said Singh.

She referred to the Mena 2016 Design Education Outlook Report that revealed the need of an estimated 30,000 design graduates in the region by 2019.

The college, she said, will work to grow local talents to meet the growth expected in the textile field in the coming years, without the need to import skills from outside the region.

Singh noted: "Programmes should be specialised to meet the passion of the young generation. Since markets demand soft skills - communication skills and critical thinking - educational programmes and trainings should work on not only introducing new fields, but also empowering students by introdu-cing them to different perspectives of those fields and encourage them to employ creativity."

She also added that such courses will address the gap seen in the number of UAE nationals emp-loyed in the private sector. "Since the UAE youth prefer government jobs and these are getting filled up, training programs will encourage them to become entrepreneurs and help meet their country's vision of the future through their own businesses," said Singh.

Professor Raed Awamleh, Dean of Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government which recently introduced three master's degree programmes to serve the needs of government entities, said the country's focus on establishing new programmes stems from the need for a trained workforce who will support its initiatives.

"The future requires human skills and qualified people to push the country's vision forward, and the best way to achieve this goal is to train the young generation who will be tomorrow's leaders," said Awamleh. Due to the lack of necessary programmes, Awamleh said, the government is starting to adopt the cause.

He added that undergoing different training programmes ensures fast career progression and development of unique skills needed in the market's new fields, thus providing added values for today's job seekers in highly competitive markets.

How do you consider non-traditional careers?

AISHA AL ALEELI, FASHION DESIGNER

"I took an Image Consulting course to learn about colour coordination and appropriate styles for different body shapes. After the course, I was inspired to start my own line of coloured-abayas for the first time."

NAWAL ALNUAIMI, OWNER OF PAPERFIG DESSERT

"I started a whole new range of desserts after I took a bakery course at Dubai's Chocolate Academy. Working on recipes with a professional chef and interacting with fellow food enthusiasts gave me ideas for creative techniques and new chocolate products used in the market."

MOHAMMED EL-KHOULY, ENTREPRENEUR

"Being in a city like Dubai where you deal with over 200 nationalities, it is necessary to develop an understanding of different cultures to enhance the success rate of your business. Taking a business etiquette course gave me insight on how to dress for different occasions, read body language and to do the right thing at the right time."

ALI SONER GUNEY, ENTREPRENEUR

"Communication is the bedrock of a solid relationship in business. Taking courses on the side hones skills and expands one's horizons. Business etiquette coaching taught me the best way to compose e-mails and correspond the right way. I also learned to manage my communications in a concise way."

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