United Arab Emirates, world leader in technical and vocational education
The United Arab Emirates ends the year on a high note. The Gulf country has been ranked as a world leader in the field of technical and vocational education and training by topping a key category of the Global Knowledge Index 2022, issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.
"This is a heartwarming achievement for the UAE," Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, said in a message on Twitter. According to Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, this achievement is the result of the UAE's commitment to continuous training, innovation and excellence.
انجاز يثلج الصدر #الامارات
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) December 27, 2022
وكالة أنباء الإمارات - الإمارات الأولى عالميا في قطاع التعليم والتدريب التقني و المهني ضمن مؤشر المعرفة العالمي 2022 https://t.co/B6EGuy6Yn9
This cutting-edge training is what has led to the development of the skills of all those enrolled in the training programmes, which have also recorded their highest figures for female participation. According to the UN report itself, the country's key strengths that have reinforced knowledge have been its educational attainment rates at university level and the large number of households with access to the Internet.
For this ranking in technical and vocational education, the Global Knowledge 2022 index assessed 132 countries, including the 11 Arab nations, in the areas of education, innovation, growth, economy, technology and research and development. In all these categories, the Gulf country scored an average of 58.9 points, above the international average of 46.5. A score that ranked it 25th globally in the overall index and first in the Arab world.
And it is this broad field of analysis that has enabled the UAE to rank 11th in economics and 15th in information and communications technology. In the world ranking, it is the United States that leads the league. Other Gulf nations in the top 50 include Qatar at 37th, Saudi Arabia at 43rd and Kuwait at 47th.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's global development network that encourages countries to access knowledge. It also identifies, in those countries that have not achieved a high ranking, the sectors in need of development and provides data that can help communities to grow.
In any case, this UN ranking for the UAE in 2022 continues to position the country as a rising economic and geopolitical leader in the region and, increasingly, globally.
