Tampering with Universities threatens to blunt talent

The UAE government is to build a database of upcoming graduates. It wants to get a handle on how many students are coming through the education system, and what subjects they’re specializing in. Quite rightly, it wants to avoid a jobs market awash with Engineers and Business graduates when employers want creative types and scientists.

What is worrying is how the government then wants to manipulate the system. If there are shortfalls in one subject, it ‘could order universities and colleges to ensure more students graduate in subjects that are more useful’, says The National. It may deny licenses to universities that don’t offer a broad enough range of subjects, penalizing talented specialists.

Market data is good, market interference is not good. If profit-making universities can see there is a demand for a certain qualification, there is greater incentive for them to create a relevant course. Equally, if international companies can see the UAE is producing a surplus of talented engineers, there is an incentive to relocate or set up a local operation.

Manipulating the figures threatens to lower the quality of stock. Instructing universities to produce more media graduates will not work: universities will either redirect resources away from where they’re needed most, or churn out graduates as cheaply as possible to hit their targets. The UAE should be more concerned about producing quality. The jobs market is open; if employers see there is a pool of great talent they will build industries around it.