Future Skills and the
Workforce of Tomorrow
Positioning Dubai as a Global Destination for Higher Education and Talent
Published in collaboration between TECOM Group and Times Higher Education, this white paper explores how Dubai is positioning itself as a world-leading hub for higher education and future skills development. It charts the evolution of Dubai’s higher education ecosystem over the past two decades, from a small number of campuses to one of the most diverse, globally connected, innovative, and fast-growing higher education markets in the world.
Today, there are 41 universities in the emirate, including 37 international branch campuses from 13 countries, representing a 37% increase since 2022. Student enrolments have also risen sharply to over 42,000 in the 2024/25 academic year, and are projected to double by 2040, highlighting Dubai’s success in attracting both international learners and locally based students seeking globally recognised degrees.
This rapid growth has coincided with the rollout of two transformative strategies for the emirate - Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and Education 33 (E33) - which place human capital, innovation, and technological advancement at the heart of the emirate’s economic vision. Together, they aim to align education with the skills demanded by emerging industries, ensuring that the next generation of graduates are equipped for the workplace of tomorrow.
This white paper draws on extensive qualitative and quantitative research, including surveys of over 320 students, graduates, and employers, alongside in-depth case studies from leading international branch campuses such as the University of Birmingham Dubai, Middlesex University Dubai, and the University of Wollongong Dubai. These case studies illustrate how universities are bridging the gap between academia and industry, ensuring that students are equipped with the skills needed for the workplace.
Key Findings:
Students view Dubai as a place where education is used as a vehicle to pursue meaningful career opportunities locally. Over 70% of survey respondents said they chose to study in Dubai because of its career opportunities and industry links, while 85% agreed that their courses equip them with valuable skills for work. Employers echo this confidence. 88% of businesses surveyed said Dubai’s graduates possess the right mix of technical and transferable skills, including strong digital literacy.
Yet the research also highlights where there is room for improvement. While industry engagement is strong, collaboration often remains transactional, focused on internships and graduate recruitment rather than long-term curriculum design or other ways to help shape long-term academic-industry integration. Similarly, students are calling for more structured work-integrated learning and clearer career pathways, signalling a need to strengthen the bridge between classroom and workplace.
Across Dubai’s education landscape, promising models are already emerging. The University of Birmingham Dubai embeds industry projects directly into its teaching, working with partners such as the Dubai Health Authority and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Middlesex University Dubai has built its Innovation Hub to support student entrepreneurship and partnerships with global firms like Alibaba Cloud, while the University of Wollongong in Dubai has embedded advisory boards in each academic department to connect with industry and established a liaison office to help students prepare for their careers.
These examples reflect how Dubai’s higher education system is moving from growth to maturity. Educational quality, meaningful industry collaboration, and future-readiness for graduates are becoming the defining features of its higher education ecosystem. With 10 to 15 new branch campuses needed by 2040 to meet projected demand, and an ever-expanding network of universities and industries, Dubai has the potential not just to be a global education hub, but to set the standard for how universities collaborate with industry to produce more employable graduates.