RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's education sector is undergoing a strategic transformation as it shifts its focus to specialized fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics and nuclear power.
Driven by the Vision 2030 economic diversification plan, it marks a decisive step in equipping the UK's future workforce with the in-demand skills needed to secure the jobs of tomorrow.
Mansoor Ahmed, managing director of the Middle East and North Africa region at Colliers, the professional services and management company based in Canada, says the shift to AI and technology is creating new job opportunities and driving reforms in higher education.
“Graduates with experience in these fields will fill highly sought-after roles, helping to reduce youth unemployment,” Ahmed told Arab News.
Saudi Arabia's national strategy for data and artificial intelligence, launched in 2020, aims to attract $20 billion in investment by 2030 and cultivate a workforce of 20,000 AI and data specialists.
Ahmed says the emergence of this highly skilled tech workforce will in turn help attract foreign investment, “positioning Saudi Arabia as a potential innovation leader.”
AI could add over $320 billion to the Middle East economy. A PWC analysis predicts that Saudi Arabia will have the largest gains in absolute terms at $135.2 billion, and the United Arab Emirates will have the largest global impact at 14 percent of its anticipated 2030 gross domestic product.
“The development of nuclear power plants and the integration of AI in various sectors will generate specialized roles in engineering, data analysis and machine learning,” Ahmed said. “This underscores the need to prioritize education in technology, AI, robotics and nuclear power.”
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Saudi Arabia has affirmed its commitment to future technology by becoming a hub for global events and forums such as LEAP, the Global AI Summit and the International Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing Exhibition and Conference.
However, if the Kingdom hopes to lead in these specialist fields, it must first close the gap between market demand and educational output.
A report produced by Colliers found that the current distribution of enrollments in the Kingdom's public universities “lacks alignment with the job market”, with students still favoring the humanities and Islamic studies.
That is changing now. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has an AI initiative focused on graduate-level research and education, while KAUST Academy focuses on developing AI talent with programs aimed at outside learners.
“KAUST aims to address this gap by offering specialized training and development programs in areas that are in high demand, helping students move from traditional fields of study to more market-aligned disciplines,” said Academy Director Sultan Albarakati KAUST, for Arab News.
“We focus on improving the skills of a wide range of students to prepare them for future labor markets.”
YOUKNOW?
Saudi Arabia's National Data and Artificial Intelligence Strategy aims to attract $20 billion in investment by 2030.
The kingdom aims to cultivate a workforce of 20,000 AI and data specialists by the end of the decade.
Artificial intelligence could add more than $320 billion to the Middle East economy, with Saudi Arabia alone gaining $135.2 billion.
Supported by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, KAUST Academy's AI program covers the entire field, from essential to advanced, with projects that allow students to demonstrate the knowledge they acquire.
The program focuses on improving skills in key areas such as deep learning libraries, optimization, linear algebra, machine learning, computer vision, artificial intelligence applications, Python programming, and large-scale deep learning.
To support AI research in Saudi Arabia, Silicon Valley tech giant Google recently awarded five core grants to KAUST faculty members. The grants, totaling $100,000, will fund projects focused on multilingual, multimodal machine learning, particularly large and generative language models.
KAUST Academy focuses on developing talent in AI with programs aimed at outside learners. (Provided)
Ahmed says the Kingdom's investment in artificial intelligence spans multiple sectors, integrating into the healthcare, robotics, manufacturing and service industries – introducing new roles that require a mix of technical and analytical skills.
“This cross-sectoral application will significantly expand employment opportunities for graduates,” he said.
Artificial intelligence is expected to transform the world of work in the coming years. About 23 percent of jobs are expected to change by 2027, with 69 million new jobs created and 83 million eliminated, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023.
To ensure alignment of educational outcomes with labor market needs, Saudi Arabia's Human Capacity Development Program aimed to review higher education degrees based on their recent and expected employment outcomes.
“Training in these highly sought-after skills will equip Saudi citizens for success in a technology-driven economy, with the HCDP's emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving and technical expertise,” Ahmed said.
