Benefits
Benefits for Participating universities and TVETs
Embed Market Relevant Skills
Embed market-relevant skills and competencies to enhance student employability at the different learning levels in universities and TVETs.
Develop Entrepreneurial Skills and Startup Businesses
Develop entrepreneurial skills in graduates with capacity to conduct research, innovate and develop viable solutions to industry challenges and ideas that can be converted to startup opportunities.
Enhanced Educational Ecosystem
Strengthening of institutional contextual and policy conditions that enable the education of employable graduates as well as research and community engagement.
Create Industry Linkages
Create platforms and mechanism for initiating and sustaining strong linkages between universities and TVETs to enhance mutual learning, knowledge and technology transfer.
Showcase Possibilities
Expose and showcase the capabilities of institutions and students in universities and TVETs, demonstrate their capacity to provide solutions that are needed by local industry and businesses.
Access to Funding & Grants
By participating in this initiative, universities and TVETs could be eligible for financial support from various sources if they solve the industry pain points.
Benefits
Benefits for Participating Teams and Individuals
Access to Industry
The initiative provides unique opportunities for teams to directly engage with industry professionals. Through visits and access to experts, teams can gain valuable insights into real-world practices, industry trends, and challenges.
Action-Oriented Training
The training program offered through the initiative is designed to equip participants with market-relevant skill sets. It focuses on practical, industry-specific knowledge that can be immediately applied in professional settings.
Hands-On 1-on-1 Coaching
This one-on-one coaching ensures that teams can successfully translate their acquired skills and knowledge into practical outcomes. The dedicated coaches work closely with each team, providing guidance, feedback, and support throughout the process.
Access to Training Materials
Participating teams have access to all the training materials and resources provided as part of the initiative. These materials serve as valuable references, enabling teams to continue their learning and development even after the program ends. The resources cover a wide range of topics and are tailored to meet the specific needs of the teams.
Publicity/Visibility of Teams and Projects
Participating teams will receive publicity and visibility through the Industry Meets Talent Initiative. This exposure can open doors to new opportunities, and recognition within the industry. It will showcase the capabilities of the teams, fostering their professional growth and networking prospects.
Free of Charge for Selected Teams
One of the key advantages of the Industry Meets Talent Initiative is that all activities and resources are provided free of charge to the participating teams. This removes any financial barriers and ensures equal access to the benefits and opportunities offered by the initiative.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
IndustryMeetsTalent is an initiative run by Next Arabia in partnership with Mastercard Foundation. This initiative aims to solve some of the major industry pain points by leveraging talents and solutions at universities and TVETs. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on training and education (supply-driven), this initiative focuses on identifying real industry pain points and then using existing or newly developed talents to solve these industry pain points in order to create dignified work and entrepreneurship opportunities (demand-driven).
The main objectives of IndustryMeetsTalent are to solve major industry pain points, create dignified work opportunities, and promote entrepreneurship. By leveraging the talents and solutions available at universities and TVETs, the initiative aims to address industry challenges and provide sustainable solutions for the benefit of both industries and academia.
This initiative is unique because it is industry-driven, meaning it focuses on solving real industry needs. It identifies suitable solutions and skill sets at universities and TVETs to address these needs. Selected teams will undergo a training, coaching, and industry engagement program to enhance their capacity. The initiative concludes with a Deal Day where the industry can onboard the selected teams as suppliers of solutions or as employees.
- Access to industry through visits, access to experts, site visits
- Impact-oriented training program to learn market-relevant skill sets
- Hands-on 1-on-1 coaching to implement learnings into action
- Access to all training materials
- Support towards transport costs for team members to attend sessions
- Publicity/visibility of teams and their projects
- All activities are free of charge for the participating teams
The application portal opens on July 21st 2023, and closes on August 21st 2023.