Enduring Skill Roundtable Series | 16th June 2021
Episode # 1: “Is it a Skills Gap or Mindset Gap?”
The skills gap between education and career is well documented, where college graduates continue to emerge unprepared for the realities of professional life and civic engagement. However, educational systems have been unable to adequately address this fundamental issue.
This discussion explores the proposition that the most valuable skills are not constrained to specific fields of study, that academic structures based on such disciplinary divisions must be reformed if we are to close the skills gap.
Setup of 1st Roundtable
Topic
Do we have a Skills gap or a Mindset gap?
Format
• Moderated roundtable
• 9-10 participants (virtual)
• Recorded (no audience)
Time
• June 16
• Duration 75 min
Guiding Questions
What balance should a Bachelor’s education strike between knowledge development and skill building?
To frame the identity crisis faced by universities today
What skills do you believe to be most critical to your entry level teams or your younger self in the first years?
To introduce the concept of “enduring skills”
Why do universities struggle to address the skills gap?
To introduce interdisciplinary education as the core principle to reform academia for more useful education
Thought Leaders
H.E. Noura Al Kaabi
President
Zayed University
Ben Nelson
Chief Executive Officer
Minerva Project
George Lee
MD & Co CIO
Goldman Sachs
Ibrahim Ajami
Head
Mubadala Ventures
Gassan Al Kibsi
Managing Director
McKinsey Middle East
Abdulla BuAli
Alumnus
Zayed University
Ahmad Kamal
Alumnus
Minerva Project
Mina Al Oraibi
Editor in Chief
The National
(Moderator)
Enduring Skills: Episode 01
Coverage
The National Coverage
- Pre-event social poll Twitter
- 2 content articles one before the roundtable and one after
- 2 social media posts before and after the roundtable
- 2 posts to promote each article on The National – Digital
www.theNationalNews.com - Banners across The National website promoting each article
- Commercial Banners on article page (leading to Zayed University Website)
Specialized Media Coverage
- 3 OpEdswhere developed based on the topic
- OpEds were attributed to Ben Nelson and Dr.Muna Alseeni
- OpEd were written in 2 languages (Arabic and English)
- OpEds were promoted across specialized media platforms regionally and globally including:
1) EdArabia
2) The Campus
3) THE – Being reviewed by Minerva for approval to publish - Post roundtable interview was conducted with (Dr.MunaAlSeeniand and Dr.RichardHolman) Article was published in The National.
TV and Broadcast Coverage
Name of outlet: Dubai One – Emirates News
Interview with Dr Richard Holman
Date of broadcast: 12 July 21
AVE: $4,800
Name of outlet: Sky News Arabia – Morning Show (Website)
Interview with Dr Richard Holman and MunaAl Seeni
Date of broadcast: 25 July 21
AVE: $3,600
Social Media Coverage
- H.E. & Ben Nelson Videos
- H.E. & Ben Nelson Quotes
- 1st Roundtable episodes