Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's education sector has undergone a strategic transformation by shifting its focus towards specialized fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics and nuclear energy.
Guided by Vision 2030's economic diversification program, this is a decisive step in equipping the Kingdom's future workforce with the in-demand skills needed to secure future jobs.
The shift to AI and technology is creating new job opportunities and driving higher education reform, says Mansoor Ahmed, managing director of the Middle East and North Africa region at Colliers, a Canadian-based professional services and management firm.
“Graduates with expertise in these fields will play demanding roles and help reduce youth unemployment,” Ahmed told Arab News.
Saudi Arabia's National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence, launched in 2020, seeks to attract $20 billion in investment by 2030 and cultivate a workforce of 20,000 AI and data professionals.
The emergence of this highly skilled tech workforce will in turn help attract foreign investment and “position Saudi Arabia as a potential leader in innovation,” Ahmed says.
Artificial intelligence can add more than 320 billion dollars to the economy of the Middle East. PWC's analysis predicts that Saudi Arabia will benefit the most in absolute terms at $135.2 billion, with the United Arab Emirates the most affected at 14 percent of its projected GDP in 2030.
“The development of nuclear power plants and the integration of artificial intelligence in various sectors will create specialized roles in engineering, data analysis and machine learning,” Ahmed said. This emphasizes the need to prioritize education in technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and nuclear energy.
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Saudi Arabia has confirmed its commitment to future technology by becoming a hub for global events and forums such as LEAP, the World AI Summit, and the International AI and Cloud Computing Exhibition and Conference.
However, if the Kingdom hopes to be a leader in these specialist areas, it must first close the gap between market demand and educational output.
A report by Colliers found that the current distribution of enrollments at the kingdom's public universities is “out of sync with the labor market” and that students remain interested in the humanities and Islamic studies.
That is changing now. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has an AI initiative focused on research and graduate studies, while KAUST Academy focuses on developing talent in AI with programs targeting foreign learners.
KAUST Academy Director Sultan Albarcati told Arab News, “KAUST offers specialized training and development programs in high-demand areas, helping students transition from traditional fields of study to fields more aligned with the market.” , closes this gap.”
We are focusing on upskilling a wide range of undergraduate students to prepare them for future job markets.
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Saudi Arabia's national strategy for data and artificial intelligence seeks to attract $20 billion in investment by 2030.
The kingdom plans to cultivate a workforce of artificial intelligence and data specialists by the end of the 2000s.
AI could add more than $320 billion to the Middle East economy, with Saudi Arabia alone gaining $135.2 billion.
Supported by the Saudi Arabian Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence, KAUST Academy's AI program covers the entire field from the essentials to the advanced level, with projects that allow students to showcase their knowledge. .
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 seed grants to KAUST faculty members. The grants, totaling $100,000, will fund projects focused on multilingual and multimodal machine learning, particularly large-scale generative language models.
KAUST Academy focuses on developing talent in artificial intelligence with programs targeting foreign learners. (supplied)
Ahmed says the kingdom's investment in AI spans multiple sectors, integrating into healthcare, robotics, manufacturing and services — introducing new roles that require a mix of technical and analytical skills.
He said: “This post-industrial application significantly expands job opportunities for graduates.
Artificial intelligence is expected to revolutionize 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 lost, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2023 report.
To ensure that educational outputs are aligned with labor market needs, Saudi Arabia's Human Capability Development Program has decided to review higher education qualifications based on their recent and expected employment outcomes.
“Training in these in-demand skills equips Saudi citizens to succeed in a technology-based economy, with the HCDP's emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving and technical expertise,” Ahmed said.
