International business schools enter Gulf to plug skills gap

• UAE and Saudi Arabia targeted
• Shortage of digital skills
• Customised education preferred

Demand for executive education in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states is growing as local governments and corporations seek to train the next generation of leaders to support economic and enterprise development goals.

Several business schools and universities offering professional development programmes are expanding in the Gulf region. These include the London Business School (LBS), the Dubai branch of Edinburgh-based Heriot-Watt University, and Headspring, a joint venture of Spain’s IE University and UK publisher The Financial Times.

“We are seeing greater momentum behind the skills agenda because of the huge transformations GCC economies are going through,” says Florin Vasvari, executive dean of executive education Middle East at LBS. 

“Organisations are investing heavily in talent development, and there is a growing preference to customise programmes to meet local needs.”

Together, these institutions are targeting the two biggest Arab economies — Saudi Arabia and the UAE — in particular, where state-led economic diversification strategies such as the former’s Vision 2030 are driving a need for a greater breadth of human capital.  

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Heriot-Watt University Dubai is also looking to expand in the UAE and Saudi Arabia after seeing growth in enquiries over the past two years, according to head of executive education Anna Schebsdat. 

A major area in workforce skills shortages in the region is in digital technologies.  

“Look at how quickly AI [artificial intelligence], fintech [financial technology], sustainability and advanced manufacturing are expanding, driven by technology,” Schebsdat says. “Professionals need to adapt because industry requires it.” 

Bassém Banna, vice-president, Middle East and Africa, at Headspring, says partnership models such as the IE-FT joint venture — aimed at tapping into deep market intelligence and a wider network of leaders — will become increasingly commonplace in a crowded and competitive market. 

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• Universities have to change to bridge the skills gap
• Mergers and acquisitions to fuel Saudi education growth
• Dubai’s new university can disrupt the traditional model

“Clients are demanding more from their executive education — more customisation and more relevance to industry dynamics,” Banna says.  

Headspring has seen the volume of enquiries from the GCC increase by as much as 25 percent annually in the past four years, Banna says. In response to this, IE opened a small campus in Riyadh last year. 

More global players are likely to enter the Gulf business school market, according to Samar Sayegh, PwC partner and leader of its Academy Middle East. It is seeing a “substantial increase” in demand for its services, working directly with clients and through alliances with universities. 

“The region is a hub for workforce development and the way forward is strategic partnerships,” Sayegh says. “This will not dilute offerings; it is likely to drive specialisation.”