DOHA: The First GCC Labour Market Skills Forum has recommended developing a unified Gulf strategy for skills development, strengthening education and private-sector partnerships, and investing in national talent to prepare for future jobs amid rapid technological change.
Concluding its proceedings under the theme “From Empowerment to Leadership”, the First GCC Labour Market Skills Forum, held alongside the ceremony honouring the winners of the Qatar Private Sector Nationalisation Award, recommended strengthening GCC integration in skills development policies and considering the preparation of a unified GCC strategy in this field.
It also recommended closer alignment of education and training programmes with labour market needs, investment in national talent, and the development of mechanisms to anticipate future skills and measure the impact of skills development programmes.
The recommendations included considering the establishment of a joint GCC committee for skills development, tasked with preparing a unified GCC strategy that keeps pace with technological change and the requirements of the work environment, and strengthens the readiness of national talent for the skills and jobs of the future.
The forum further recommended strengthening partnerships between education and training institutions and the private sector, and developing training programmes in line with the actual and anticipated needs of economic sectors, as well as investing in professional, digital and leadership skills, advancing quality and sustainable nationalisation, and expanding career development opportunities for citizens in the private sector.
The recommendations also called for a greater role for the private sector in identifying the skills required, designing training programmes and providing learning and professional development opportunities, so that training outcomes are linked to job requirements. They further called for the development of mechanisms to anticipate labour market needs, the use of data and indicators to identify future skills, and the continuous evaluation of programmes and initiatives to improve their results.
The forum also recommended considering holding the GCC Labour Market Skills Forum annually on a rotating basis among the GCC States, ensuring continued dialogue and the exchange of expertise, and strengthening GCC coordination in addressing shared challenges relating to the future of skills and work.
In his closing address, Assistant Undersecretary for National Manpower Affairs Khames Mohammed Al Naimi, affirmed the importance of continuing joint GCC action to develop skills systems and exchange expertise and successful experiences among the GCC States, strengthening the readiness of national talent for a changing labour market.
Al Naimi stressed that implementing these directions requires continued coordination and complementary roles among government entities, education and training institutions and the private sector, as well as turning visions and proposals into practical, measurable initiatives that deliver a lasting impact on skills development and the readiness of the national workforce.
He underlined the importance of continued investment in people and in developing their capacity to learn, adapt and innovate, in order to keep pace with rapid advances in technology and digital transformation, and to open wider horizons for Gulf talent to take part in development and in shaping the future.
