DUBAI – Key  industry professionals, government officials and academics will gather in Dubai this week to discuss the existing and emerging skills gaps within the UAE’s tourism and hospitality industry. The discussion, facilitated by Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), will see participants debate the findings of a Workforce Planning Study that has identified a number of skills gaps within the burgeoning sector that currently account for one in nine jobs

KeyNewly released figures from the Workforce Planning Study have revealed that some corporates are having difficulty finding suitable candidates for junior positions within the industry.



Other key findings include:



• Overall, customer relationship management, event management, and food & beverage management skills are the most in demand in the industry



• Hotel management, facilities management and customer relationship management skills are lacking in senior level employees



• Facilities, food & beverage and events management skills are lacking in mid-level employees



• Entry-level employees lacked customer relationship management skills. Additionally, there is a growing demand for Hotel management skills for the entry-level  positions



• Within the levant region, students favor a degree in Tourism and Hospitality. However, within the GCC and subcontinent specifically, banking, finance and IT remain the top choice for students



The study offers up some critical recommendations about how the UAE could address the skills gaps arising from the sector’s growth, such as bridging the gap between industry and academia.



Dr. Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director of Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Village said: “More than 383,000 jobs were supported by the travel and tourism industry last year, and that number is expected to grow by a further 2.6% this year. The demand for skilled workers has never been higher and we feel it is our role, as a home for the region’s education and training institutes, to facilitate a more coordinated approach between academia and industry.



“The findings of the study will enable our academic partners and training institutes to tailor their education offerings to the demands of local industry. This is a smart approach to education — and one that ties back to the government’s wider vision of developing a knowledge-based economy.”



The DIAC roundtable event will take place on  May 15 at the Dubai Knowledge Village Conference Center. Attendees will include Jumeirah Group, Emirates Academy, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Emaar Hospitality Group, Alpha Tours, National Institute of Vocational Education, International Centre for Culinary Arts, Higher Colleges of Technology and DIAC academic partners.



According to the GCC Hospitality Industry Report 2012 (Alpen Capital), the hospitality market in the UAE is forecast to grow at an average rate of 8.1% in the next four years, to $28.3b. Moreover, a new study from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) states that the travel and tourism industry contributed 14 percent to the UAE economy in 2012 — well above the global trend of 9 percent. Last year, AED193.6b ($52.7b) of the UAE’s GDP came from the industry and that contribution is expected to rise by 3.2 percent by the end of this year. — SG