Generic Skills Development in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and Graduate Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Jeffrey B Matu,Eun J Paik

doi:10.18502/gespr.v2i1.9309

Abstract

Generic skills are essential because today’s jobs and the future of work require flexibility, initiative, and the ability to undertake many different tasks. While higher education graduates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries recognize the contribution of these skills in their academics and workplace performance, generic skills development is not a consistent part of their education, which has led to socioeconomic challenges. If higher education placed a great emphasis on developing generic skills, students would expect to have pragmatic benefits, such as academic success, boosting workplace performance, positive interpersonal relationships, and better health and overall well-being. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review has been conducted to examine generic skills development outcomes in the GCC. Hence, this systematic review aims to identify, evaluate, and summarize findings from peer-reviewed and policy-related studies that have documented generic skills development outcomes in the GCC countries, including identifying broad definitions used and areas for future research. The findings demonstrated conclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness of generic skills development at the higher education level in enhancing graduate outcomes in employability promotion skills, enhancing stakeholder engagement in curriculum and instruction, academic or workplace performance, influences on health, and effects on social dimensions.

Highlights

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising six member countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAENQF, #45) – has taken significant strides to transform its member economies from a dependence on oil and gas and has pivoted to providing a policy and structural environment that supports the growth of a knowledge-based economy anchored on human capital investments (Gross & Ghafar, 2019)
This systematic review summarizes findings from empirical studies of generic skills development outcomes to address the following research question: What graduate outcomes are incorporated in generic skills development in higher education of GCC countries? The findings demonstrated conclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness of generic skills development at the higher education level in enhancing graduate outcomes in employability promotion skills, enhancing stakeholder engagement in curriculum and instruction, improving academic or workplace performance, positive influences on health and social dimensions
Atef and Balushi (2017) found that developing generic skills are important for students in understanding the wide range of available employment opportunities and the relevance of generic skills in developing new career paths not previously considered, whereas Mirza and Karolak (2019) found that students perceived that higher education was not adequately preparing them with these skills

Summary

Introduction

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising six member countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAENQF, #45) – has taken significant strides to transform its member economies from a dependence on oil and gas and has pivoted to providing a policy and structural environment that supports the growth of a knowledge-based economy anchored on human capital investments (Gross & Ghafar, 2019) This shift has necessitated a sharp focus on strengthening higher education to ensure that its citizens are adequately prepared for the workforce. The UAE has led the way in appointing a fourth industrial revolution ambassador, whose primary role will be to support the government’s strategic aims for building a knowledge economy, including developing local talent, and ensuring nationals are employed and learning the skills demanded by employers (GulfNews, 2019 #35) This emphasis on a knowledge economy has led to GCC countries prioritizing training and education, at the higher education level.

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