UAE launches “Future Partnerships”: a public-private Initiative
The Government Development and the Future Office of the UAE Government launched “Future Partnerships”, a unique initiative, and the first in the region, that engages leading private sector firms to actively participate in preparing for, and shaping, the future of the UAE.
The initiative is a platform where the government and private sector firms in the UAE can unite together to identify future opportunities, create innovative solutions to future challenges, and design impact-driven initiatives for the UAE.
The first future journey was taken with LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform. The UAE Government and LinkedIn announced the launch of the “Future Skills for Women” Program, which aims to equip 2,000 young Emirati women with the skills for future jobs, and enable them to actively participate in designing and shaping the future of the UAE, and increase their contribution to the UAE economy. The initiative also provides an opportunity for young women to obtain specialized certificates in future skills, which will empower them and enhance their career path potential.
The Future Partnerships Initiative is part of the UAE’s ambitious vision to strengthen the public-private collaboration and accelerate future readiness. It is designed to give private sector firms access to government to create impactful initiatives and programs that will shape the future via creative ideas enabling the UAE to manage the rapid global changes, increase future readiness, and advance the social and economic progress of the UAE.
The signing of the partnership agreement was attended by Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, Sue Duke, Vice President, Head of Global Public Policy at LinkedIn, Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn Emerging Markets, Middle East & Africa, and a number of the company’s officials in Dubai and Dublin.
Her Excellency Ohood Al Roumi affirmed that the Future Partnerships Initiative translates the directives of the UAE’s leadership to make the government a platform for driving partnerships and leveraging the expertise of public and private sectors to co-create policies, projects and solutions that enhance readiness for the future.
Her Excellency commended the pivotal role of the private sector in promoting the country’s development and progress, as well as the fruitful partnership with LinkedIn which brings together competencies and expertise and enable young people to build an outstanding career. Her Excellency called on all companies to participate in the initiative and become co-creators of the UAE’s journey to the future.
Al Roumi stated that focusing on future skills is a fundamental orientation and a top priority for the UAE government amid the changing employment landscape, where constant upskilling and reskilling are necessary to keep pace with the growing disruptions caused by technology across all sectors.
The Minister of State for Government Development and the Future noted that the Future Skills for Women Program focuses on equipping young Emirati women with future skills, as part of the government's efforts to achieve gender balance in all sectors, enhance Emirati women's participation in the public and private sectors, and empower them with skills that increase their competitiveness in the future labor market.
Sue Duke said: "We are proud of our partnership with the UAE government which has a proven track record in achieving gender balance, and we look forward to making further progress together in order to increase women's representation in the economy of the future."
Duke added: "Our data indicates a gap in the representation of women in the majority of fast changing jobs around the world, most notably those jobs related to technology and its applications. We must ensure that women are well represented by making gender equality a priority for governments and businesses around the world. In order to achieve this, recruitment practices must focus as much on the skills and capabilities as they do on formal qualifications.”
Under the partnership with LinkedIn, 2,000+ young Emirati women will be trained on the future skills to enable them build a distinguished career and qualify them for the changing requirements of the labor market, through 1,000 training hours covering key skills such as life-long learning, communication and interaction, and technology.
Moreover, the Future Skills for Women Program will organize virtual workshops and webinars with global experts, professionals and executives from the UAE and abroad, and will host global speakers to share their knowledge and experiences.
The program will also create specialized virtual communities that bring together participants and experts to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas, connect the program’s participants with companies that offer job opportunities, and help them advance their careers.
It is worth noting that women are key players in the UAE workforce, with a participation rate of more than 46%, and up to 66% in the public sector.