The Rise of Bespoke Teaching: Higher Education Institutions in the Gulf Are Working More Closely with Governments and Private Companies to Create Courses Designed to Develop the Specific Skills They Need

Thomas, Karen, Evans, Sophie, MEED Middle East Economic Digest

Demand for non-degree-level executive education has fallen worldwide this year, as companies slash their education and training budgets to help them cope better with the recession.

A May 2009 survey by UK consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that almost a quarter (23 per cent) of companies across Europe expected their training and development budgets to decrease this year.

The Gulf region, however, has continued to attract new universities and business schools as demand for executive education continues to grow. Business schools with a presence in the GCC states report that company-funded courses in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia in particular have held up well despite the downturn.

In the Gulf's education hubs of the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar, top universities and business schools maximise their profits through a three-pronged approach that combines high-end MBA and executive MBA courses with bespoke corporate programmes that address specific skills gaps.

Both state-owned and private companies have traditionally been a major source of income for Gulf-based business schools, with companies using the institutions to create tailor-made executive education programmes for their senior managers.

Government support

The Gulf markets continue to demand education and training for their senior managers. With state-owned entities accounting for about 60 per cent of economic activity in Saudi Arabia, a situation that is similar across the five other GCC member states, business schools are reporting that demand is still strong thanks to government companies seeking tailored executive education programmes.

State-owned entities such as Abu …

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Publication information: Article title: The Rise of Bespoke Teaching: Higher Education Institutions in the Gulf Are Working More Closely with Governments and Private Companies to Create Courses Designed to Develop the Specific Skills They Need. Contributors: Thomas, Karen - Author, Evans, Sophie - Author. Magazine title: MEED Middle East Economic Digest. Volume: 53. Issue: 48 Publication date: November 27, 2009. Page number: S10+. © 1999 MEED Middle East Economic Digest. All Rights Reserved. COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale Group.

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