Triple Helix in Higher Education in the U.A.E.: Current Standing and Research Directions

Abstract

The observation that the skills and attributes of Higher Education graduates in the U.A.E. are not matching the requirements and needs of the local industry and government is rather common and publicly expressed on several occasions. This has a number of implications in the local job market, with the most obvious being that the management of the local businesses, especially the large ones, are hesitant to hire graduates. One of the questions arising from such a situation is whether the local Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offer the correct curriculum in their programs in order to meet the needs of the local industries and government organizations. The aim of this study is to contextualize the current standing of the main pillars of Higher Education in the country, namely: accreditation of the local educational institutions, the educational institutions themselves, the local industry and businesses, and the local society in its entirety. Based on this foundation, it is expected that this study will function as a guide for more thorough and structured studies exploring the implications of the observed discrepancies between higher education delivery and local demand. Ultimately, such efforts will enable local HEIs to create and deliver programs that are much more in line with corporate demands and government strategic plans in the region.