UAE universities urged to rethink curricula as AI reshapes job market

Universities in the United Arab Emirates need to overhaul their curricula and teaching methods to prepare students for a job market increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), the country's acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, has said.

Speaking at the Zayed Education Foundation's Partnerships for the Future event in Abu Dhabi on Oct 13, Al Awar called for closer collaboration between higher education institutions and industry to ensure graduates acquire skills that employers need.

He said emerging technologies were creating new opportunities while changing the requirements of the labour market. Universities must therefore redesign their curricula and strengthen the capabilities of both faculty members and students.

The event brought together 12 institutions to strengthen partnerships and expand opportunities for home-grown scholars.

UAE minister calls for industry-linked university education

Al Awar said rapid economic and technological changes required higher education institutions to work more closely with economic sectors and adapt their academic programmes accordingly.

He also pointed to the ministry's Outcome-Based Evaluation Framework, which challenges universities to improve their competitiveness and align educational outcomes with the needs of students, the economy and society.

An updated guidebook for the framework was released earlier in 2026 after consultations involving 735 representatives from higher education institutions across the UAE.

The push for reform comes as artificial intelligence changes the nature of work and the skills required across industries. Universities face growing pressure to ensure that graduates can apply their knowledge, adapt to technological developments and meet changing employer expectations.

Students want practical skills to take priority over grades

Students have also called for higher education to move beyond conventional measures of academic performance and give greater importance to practical experience and skills.

Noor Odeh, a UAE resident from Jordan who is pursuing a master's degree in computational data science at Khalifa University as a Ruwwad Zayed Scholar, said her decision to study in the UAE was influenced by the opportunity to contribute to her community.

She said the scholarship offered guidance and opportunities beyond obtaining a degree. Odeh also argued that universities should focus more on the skills students acquire than on numerical measures such as grade point averages.

Fellow scholar Jassem Alkhoori, who is studying digital transformation at Zayed University, said higher education needed to keep pace with technological advances.

He highlighted the potential use of AI tools in research, including automating routine tasks such as screening papers, and called for more education on using these tools effectively.

Zayed Education Foundation expands scholarship opportunities

The Zayed Education Foundation is seeking to expand access to higher education and create opportunities for students across the region.

The foundation aims to create opportunities for 100,000 students by 2035. It recently announced the first cohort of 50 Ruwwad Zayed Scholars, comprising Emirati and Arab students pursuing master's degrees at universities in the UAE.

Saeed Al Nazari, secretary general of the Great Arab Minds initiative, also stressed the importance of nurturing talented people from the region and connecting them with opportunities to advance knowledge and research.