Covid-19 was an eye-opener as to just how critical digital technology is. Digitally enabled organisations were able to navigate through the crisis relatively unscathed as their less-savvy counterparts struggled.
GCC countries, which boast relatively technologically advanced economies, not only demonstrated higher resilience
than many others but are set for faster post-Covid recovery. The pandemic also resulted in the acceleration of some of the emerging technologies that have been buzzwords for the last decade, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, smart solutions, virtual technologies, cloud, etc.
We witnessed how cloud, for instance, enabled education to continue as physical classrooms shut down, while AI was deployed to great effect in researching and developing Covid-19 vaccines and treatment.
Today, our world is empowered by technology — it touches every area of our lives, however, there’s a growing gap due to the lack of knowledge and practical learning methods. Oman has made great strides in developing its ICT sector. For the new decade, the Sultanate has developed the e.Oman 2030 strategy that aims at “building a strong foundation to benefit from the digitalisation and technology changes driven by the 4th Industrial Revolution”.
Advanced ICT technology is the building block of an intelligent society, fuelling digitally driven, more intelligent industries. ICT will continue to be a key driver of digital transformation in all other sectors and industries and a key
contributor to the socio-economic growth in Oman.
The success of Oman’s digital future relies on the development of the ICT talent ecosystem.
Preparing the next generation of ICT professionals is crucial for the continued prosperity of our digital economy, and the challenge
we face is that we’re preparing our young talent for jobs that don’t yet exist!
FUTURE OF WORK
Services to humanity had and will continue to be the same but, the jobs of the future will bear little resemblance to those of the past. Experts at the Institute for the Future contend that 85 per cent of jobs that will exist in 2030
haven’t been invented yet. Meanwhile, a global skills gap is threatening to derail the digital transformation efforts of
organisations. According to a recent report by McKinsey, most companies worldwide — 87 per cent — are aware that they either already have a skills gap or will have one within a few years.
Closing this gap will require us to rethink education and training. The traditional rote learning method will not serve a digital economy. Educational institutions must promote an innovation and creativity ethos among learners. It is imperative that we educate and arm our students with the latest knowledge of advanced technologies. Students need to not only learn theoretical concepts, but also require hands-on, practical experience of working with these technologies to learn their application.
Universities in Oman need to adopt modern methods and techniques of teaching to enhance the ICT capabilities of
our students. We understand this at the National University of Science and Technology, Oman, which is why we offer innovative programs with an emphasis on creative applications of knowledge in tune with global requirements
in science and technology.
By closely working with global technology leaders like Huawei, we aim to nurture local ICT talents, increase Oman’s ICT competitiveness, and encourage local communities to contribute to achieving the National vision for digital transformation and socio-economic growth and development.
PARTNERSHIPS
Governments cannot do it alone. ICT talent nurturing requires open collaboration between the private and public sectors. Public-private partnerships (PPP) have proved to be an effective strategy for bringing together the resources
and know-how needed to deliver on Oman’s digital transformation goals.
Thus, it is vital to facilitate connections between international talent and the collaboration between governmental
organisations, academia, training agencies, and enterprises in the region, thus promoting innovation and the growth of ICT talent in Oman.
[Dr Ali al Bimani is the Vice Chancellor of the National University of Science and Technology, Oman]
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