Bridging the Employability and Entrepreneurial Skill Gap in the Saudi K-12 EducationDr. Ali Alhakami, CEOTatweer Company for Educational Services

US-Saudi Business ForumLos Angeles, September 16-18, 2013

We have moved from an economy built on people’s backs to an economy built on people’s left brains to what is emerging today: an economy and society built more and more on people’s right brains.

(A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink)

A Whole New Mind

Daniel Pink highlights design, innovation and creativity capabilities (and not material products) as major sources of wealth for nations.

Procedural tasks increasingly automated or outsourced to cheaper locations while heuristic tasks require complex processes.

Countries with education systems that nurture design, innovation and creativity reap the benefits in the knowledge economy.

Design, Innovation and Creativity

Harvard Professor Tony Wagner in “The Global Achievement Gap”, lists 7 skills that students need to succeed in the new economy:

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

2. Collaboration and Leadership3. Agility and Adaptability4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism5. Effective Oral and Written

Communication6. Accessing and Analyzing

Information7. Curiosity and Imagination

The Global Achievement Gap

The Saudi Education system has realized remarkable achievements over the last 4 decades, but like many other systems worldwide, KSA needs to focus more on 21st century skills.

Building on many quantitative achievements, the system needs to align better with the needs of the labor market.

The country has a very ambitious knowledge society strategy and an economic diversification strategy which requires well developed skills.

The Arab World Competitiveness Report 2013 identifies the skill gap as one of the main factors limiting competitiveness and job creation in Saudi Arabia. 

Global Competitiveness: Skills Gap

More importantly, the education system needs to be aligned with an increasingly networked society.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012*0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

Percentage of Internet Users

Arab States Saudi Arabi

A Networked Society

Source: World Development Indicators 2013

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012*0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

Mobile Phones per 100 inhabitants

Arab States Saud Arabia

Source: World Development Indicators 2013

A Networked Society

An active citizenry

• 3 Million + users in 2012, growing 3000% from 2011.

• Largest age-group on twitter are 25-35 followed by the 18-24.

• On average 15 million tweets per month originate from KSA.

• Arabic is the largest growing language on twitter and KSA accounts for 30% growth.

• Riyadh ranked 10th globally among cities with most tweets.

Source: The State of Social Media in Saudi Arabia 2012

• In 2012, 90 million You Tube videos viewed per day.

• 109% viewership growth compared to 2011.

• KSA is ranked #1 in terms of video viewership.

• 6 Million + Facebook users in 2012 representing 23% population penetration.

• Facebook is the 3rd most visited site in KSA.

Source: The State of Social Media in Saudi Arabia 2012

An active citizenry

A Saudi networked society with unprecedented opportunities for wealth and job creation at low cost.

For some trailblazer entrepreneurs, these tools are more than entertainment or educational enablers: they are tools of wealth and job creation.

A Networked Society

MangoJazan.con

A flourishing electronic store that started with a tweet.

#Faris_Breakfast

Started as a Twitter Hashtag now it is a famous restaurant in Jeddah.

Faris is a young Saudi who started recommending ideas for breakfast meals to his followers in twitter.

Then he opened a restaurant in Jeddah under the same hashtag he used in twitter for the branding and marketing of his restaurant!

Riyadh Guide Website

From tweeting about best places and your favorite meals to followers to a famous and useful website to guide customers to the best restaurants in Riyadh.

The Riyadh Guide website has expanded to provide a range hospitality, wedding planning and event management services.

iPhady

A Saudi computer engineering graduate transformed his passion for technology and electronic services into an entrepreneurial and profitable IT online business.

Hessa & Sara Al-Jalajel, Cheesecake Entrepreneurs

Hessa and Sara started a small-scale business selling desserts for their family and friends. They were encouraged to expand and grow.

Using social media to market their business, they now have more than 15,000 followers on Instagram and a large customer base.

12 Cups Coffee12 Cups started selling

sealed Coffee packages, with a capacity of 12 cups, and ready to use in coffee machines.

The Saudi entrepreneurs expanded the business by selling coffee machines with these packages, and introduced 11 other coffee types to give the company name (12 Cups) more meaning.

Isterlab, Muhannad Abu Dayah

A young Saudi inventor who started his own business,

Isterlab .

His company trains young Saudis how to transform their ideas, inventions and innovations into successful

businesses .

Now he delivers his training and consultancy across the Gulf region . “In spite of all my personal problems, I will

continue to work on many more inventions. I am not disabled or blind, I am an inventor, who

is driven by high motivation”,

Youth entrepreneurship needs to be a top priority.

Our challenge is to provide all students with the employability and entrepreneurial skills to participate in the emerging knowledge society.

We have to provide young people with the:• knowledge, skills, and attitudes

to help them create and grow their own businesses.

• transferable skills that will enable them to seek, obtain, keep and advance in any job.

Youth entrepreneurship

KSA’s Strategy: Bridging the K-12 Skill Gap

• Integrating 21st century skills within all curricula subjects

• Strengthening students’ capabilities in the high-value STEM field

• Strengthening students’ oral and written communication in their mother tongue and in a foreign language, notably English

• Strengthening students’ entrepreneurial skills

• Strengthening private sector links, including through student internship.

• Aligning policies to enable the new transformations.

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Some Strategic Initiatives and Projects Under Implementation

Bidar: Employability and Entrepreneurial Skills Development Program

Bidar provides transition pathways into the world of work for Saudi youth

The employability component of the program is to enable young Saudis to succeed in gaining a job and making progress in a continually evolving workplace.

The entrepreneurial skills component focuses on unleashing the creative potential of the students to plan, create, lead, and growth their own businesses.

Experiential Learning

Students participated in experiential learning activities, using a project-based learning methodology to address challenging and complex topics in a fun way.

Activity Spotlight: Product InnovationUsed to introduce the concept of entrepreneurship and characteristics of an entrepreneurs, the product innovation activity gave students the chance to exercise their creativity.

Activity Spotlight: Simulating the Market Place: Buying & SellingStudents put their theory into action by visiting local markets and purchasing materials to repackage and sell for just SR 100. Students doubled or tripled their investments! Businesses included:• Perfume• Food• Jewellry• Clothing

Student Experience: Creating Young Entrepreneurs

STEM Initiative

Ambitious strategy to strengthen student capabilities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. With a focus on subject knowledge, application and transferable 21st century skills, including problem solving, critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, etc.

Benchmarking system performance to global trends through participation in international STEM-related assessments.

Providing in-depth professional development for teachers, introduction of a new technology curriculum, the establishment of specialized STEM secondary schools, establishment of community science centers throughout the country and extra-curricular STEM activities.

Improving Students’ Arabic Language skills so they can move from learning to read to reading to learn.

Linking Arabic Language skills to real live and work contexts.

Leveraging technology to improve Arabic language teaching and learning.

Arabic Language Teaching and Learning Development Program

Strengthening the place of English language in the K-12 curriculum and improving speaking, listening, reading and writing skills of students. It builds the capability of the future workforce to participate positively in an increasingly globalized world that uses English in research, business and trade, and in cross-border communication.

Expanding instructional time allocated to English by introducing it in the fourth grade. I

Introducing new English language curriculum standards, instruction and assessment strategies to align with global best practices

English Language Teaching and Learning Development Program

School Development Program

The outcomes of the flagship School Development program include:

• Transforming Saudi schools to become learning organizations that promote innovation and creativity.

• Knowledge and expertise flow organically across institutional and geographic boundaries through Professional Learning Communities

• Improved professional development and collaboration that enhances learning across the system, promoting growth, positive change and capacity building

• Strengthened partnership with the business community to enable students transition into the labor market

Concluding Remarks

• Reorienting the education system to focus on 21st century skills as opposed to simple information transmission requires a robust change management strategy: old habits die hard.

• Providing in-depth professional development for teachers and supporting them through well-designed instructional materials are critical.

• Engaging successful young entrepreneurs as role models and entrepreneurship ambassadors in the schools expands students’ employability expectations.

• Engaging the private sector in the design and development of entrepreneurship and employability programs is critical for improving their relevance and quality.

• Enabling schools to build bridges with the private sector through appropriate policies is a must for the sustainability of the efforts.

Thank youaalhakami@t4edu.com