The UAE has launched the “building future talents” initiative, in partnership with Ernst and Young (EY), and the Emirates Schools Establishment (ESE), to build 10,000 UAE public school female students’ skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The initiative is based on introducing an interactive smart application that includes more than 450 activities on 21st century skills, provided by more than 15 elite universities and educational institutions primarily NASA, UC Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, and a number of international organizations such as the World Economic Forum and the UNESCO.
The initiative aims to build students’ future skills and enhance their participation in practical fields related to STEM, being among the main future pillars of the UAE’s future directions. Through its smart application, the initiative presents high-quality training courses and holds innovative gamified competitions to motivate students and enhance their passion towards science and technology.
The smart application presents three innovative reward categories for students participating in the initiative, based on the points they accumulate for every step they complete. The awards include in-kind prizes, virtual mentorships, innovation fellowships, training opportunities with EY experts, and the opportunity to redeem the points as donations to support humanitarian initiatives of the Emirates Red Crescent and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
The application includes 17 main topics aiming to build students’ skills, including jobs of the future, emerging technologies, robotics and automation, blockchain, the future of space, green technology, 5G networks, as well as the future of the industrial revolution. In addition, it tackles main interpersonal skills such as creativity, innovation, agility, adaptability, change management, and effective communication skills.
Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and The Future, stated that the initiative seeks to enhance the UAE’s future readiness through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) aiming to build future STEM skills of new generations, being among the UAE’s main future directions.
“Building future talents” initiative targets building skills and experiences of UAE public school female students, enhance their readiness for future jobs requirements, and increase their participation in STEM-related sectors. The initiative seeks to positively impact the future of Emirati women by focusing on building students’ skills and feeding their passion for learning future skills. This goes in line with the UAE’s Principles for the next 50 and enhances the efforts aiming to build students’ 21st century skills and competitiveness for future jobs in STEM careers,” the minister said.
Jameela bint Salem Al Muheiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Chairperson of the Board of Emirates Schools Establishment, said, “Launching the application to build future skills for female public school students in the UAE will upskill female students in the most vital future fields through providing advanced scientific and technical content; given their important and pivotal role in shaping the future.”
She noted that the app presents various innovative educational ideas and content to ensure promising future prospects for students. “It further includes advanced science and knowledge global themes that will enhance students’ competitiveness and provide them with an inspiring educational experience to reach the desired goals.”
Meanwhile, Abdulaziz Al-Sowailim, EY MENA Chairman and CEO, said, “The EY STEM app, one of our community initiatives, is an integrated platform that helps students learn about new technologies in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in addition to the skills they need to design a better and a more sustainable future.”
He announced that EY will offer the top 10 female students participating in the initiative a comprehensive 6-month internship in any of the EY’s offices in the region. In addition, a special trophy will be granted to the best school in terms of promoting female students’ participation in the initiative