At the ‘Make it in the Emirates’ forum earlier this year, held under the theme “National Creation and Talent”, one message came through clearly: the UAE’s greatest strength is its people.
National talent remains the foundation on which diversification, resilience, and innovation thrive.
The UAE has already made great progress in attracting and empowering national talent. As of mid-2025, more than 152,000 Emiratis are employed in the private sector across 29,000 companies according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE). These figures demonstrate the success of policies designed to open opportunities and incentivise participation in the economy.
Yet, numbers alone do not tell the full story
If long-term development strategies are not rolled out, these talents may risk being underutilised in high-value sectors and hence, the focus must now shift from hiring to developing, from filling roles to unlocking potential.
There is a clear need to build development pathways as ambitious as the nation’s goals. This can’t be achieved through one-off programmes or short-term initiatives. It requires long-term frameworks that let careers grow over decades, with clear progression and opportunities to shape industries of the future.
When implemented well, they ensure that national talent is not just participating in economic growth but actively driving it.
STEM education is key
A big part of this framework depends on bringing academia and industry even closer together. The gap between what universities teach and what the market needs is narrowing, but it still has to close faster.
Through academic partnerships, businesses and universities need to work side by side to co-design and create curricula rooted in real-world challenges. This is where STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education plays a central role.
STEM disciplines are vital for driving innovation and economic competitiveness. The ability to solve complex problems, design new solutions, and adapt to changing industry needs depends on a solid STEM foundation.
The country is preparing for this change and, STEM roles will account for more than 50 per cent of future jobs in the UAE’s 2030 Skills Agenda. Programmes in areas like artificial intelligence, data science, and robotics are already aligning with national growth priorities, but they need to grow in scale and reach.
Investment in STEM skills ensures that Emirati youth can lead tomorrow’s technological advancements, rather than simply consume them.
Human capital will drive growth
As the UAE moves toward its goals for the next five years, its success will depend as much on the strength of its national talent as on the scale of its investments. The focus now should be on building careers that last decades, shaping the education of the future together with industry, and embedding national talent into every part of the economy.
Also, with the pace at which technology adoption is accelerating worldwide, the UAE’s ability to prepare its citizens for leadership roles will determine whether it remains a regional innovation hub.
The challenge is developing a workforce that is not just technically competent, but also strategically minded, capable of driving innovation across sectors.
Through Thales Emarat Technologies (TET), Emirati engineers and specialists are developing advanced capabilities in defence systems, digital security, and sovereign AI. These areas are critical to the nation’s growth.
The goal is to foster the next generation STEM leaders who will develop these fields in the years ahead.
Today’s world is defined by tech acceleration, and national human capital is the key to sovereignty, security and economic growth. In the UAE, the ambition remains constantly high and real industry leaders need to create tools and opportunities that citizens can use to transform their potential to action. If we get this right, prioritising STEM education will help ensure that the UAE’s national talent remains adaptive and future-ready, setting the pace for sustainable, knowledge-driven growth.