Investing in Tomorrow’s Talent: A Study on the College and Career Readiness of Arab Youth
Arab youth are at the heart of our work at the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education. In just a few years of offering university scholarships, we gained valuable insights from our applicants and scholars. We learned that they are ambitious, persistent and serious about their careers. We also learned that investing in their academic success alone is not enough to prepare them for the future, particularly among those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds who lack the support system to guide them along the way.
The voices of Arab youth are often lost or forgotten in the policy debates about them. This study on college and career readiness of Arab youth is an effort to hear their perspectives around the critical junctures in their educational journey towards employment. It is also the Foundation’s first effort to contribute to research on topics that deserve greater attention and that have implications on access, quality, and equity issues in education in the Arab world.
While this report raises many questions, we also hope it sheds light on this important issue. Arab youth have concrete ideas about how to support them in their preparation for college and careers. And, we – philanthropies, educators and future employers have a collective responsibility to invest in tomorrow’s talent, providing Arab youth with the professional guidance, experiences, and knowledge that they need to be the best they can be.
Dr. Samar Farah, Research Manager, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education; and Soraya Benchiba, Research Assistant, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education.
