更好的技能，更好的工作，更好的生活

This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of theOECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarilyreflect the official views of OECD member countries.This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the statusof or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiersand boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.Note by Turkey:The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. Thereis no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Turkey recognisesthe Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within thecontext of the United Nations, Turkey shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”.Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union:The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Turkey.The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of theRepublic of Cyprus.Photo credits:Cover © Naufal MQ / Shutterstock.com© Laborant / Shutterstock.com© Shutterstock.com© OECD 2015You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databasesand multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitableacknowledgement of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rightsshould be submitted torights@oecd.org. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial useshall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) atinfo@copyright.comor the Centre français d’exploitation du droitde copie (CFC) atcontact@cfcopies.com. Better SkillsBetter JobsBetter LivesA STRATEGIC APPROACH TO EDUCATIONAND SKILLS POLICIES FOR THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO EDUCATION AND SKILLS POLICIES FOR THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES © OECD 2015–3The United Arab Emirates is identified by PISA(Programme for International Student Assessment) asone of the most rapidly improving education systemsin the world. However its students still perform wellbelow the levels expected in advanced economies.This is important because the knowledge and skillsof students are a powerful predictor for a country’swealth and social outcomes in the long run. If the UAEwould raise the performance of its lowest-performing15-year-olds at least to PISA Level 2, which can beconsidered a minimum for effective participationin industrialised economies, the additional long-term economic output these individuals are likely togenerate for the UAE over their working life could bein the order of 2360 billion US$, which exceeds threetimes the country’s current GDP. Achieving genderparity in PISA outcomes would be equivalent to 660billion US$. Even if those estimates will always entailconsiderable uncertainty, they indicate that the likelygains from improving educational outcomes dwarf anyconceivable cost of educational reform. Importantly,they also indicate that the current deficits in schoolingoutcomes in the UAE and other countries are theequivalent of a permanent economic recession.In short, better skills have become the key to betterjobs and better lives.In 21stcentury economies, knowledge and skills havebecome the global currency, and it is essential thata high value is placed on education and training sothat a world-class education system can be built.This “currency” of knowledge and skills can only bedeveloped through sustained effort and investment inpeople. Moreover, it depreciates as skills requirementsof labour markets evolve and individuals lose the skillsthey’re not using.The coexistence of high unemployment and skillsshortages in much of the Arab world illustrates thatproducing more of the same graduates cannot be theanswer. To succeed with converting knowledge andskills into the jobs, growth and social outcomes thatnations require, countries need a better understandingForewordSkills are infinite – oil is not of which are the skills that drive strong and sustainableeconomic and social outcomes. This will help countriesensure that the right mix of skills is being taught andlearned, and that effective labour markets are usingpeople’s skill potential.This report situates the United Arab Emirates inthe global context, and puts forward internationalevidence and research, policy lessons and practicalexamples to guide the country’s future skills policydevelopment. Following the structure of the OECD’sSkills Strategy,Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Lives:A Strategic Approach to Skills Policies, it exploresthree policy levers in the context of the United ArabEmirates: policy lever 1, developing relevant skills;policy lever 2, activating skills sup