Universities across the Middle East must help graduates meet the growing need for green jobs in the face of the “defining challenge of our lifetime”, a conference has heard.

Zaki Nusseibeh, chancellor of the flagship United Arab Emirates University, said education was at the heart of the country’s transition into a post-oil, knowledge-based economy.

A key adviser to the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Mr Nusseibeh said that, as a leading hydrocarbon producer, the country could have fallen into the trap of not preparing for a post-hydrocarbon world.

“But that is not what we are doing,” he told delegates on the final day of the Times Higher Education MENA Universities Summit.

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“Instead, we are ensuring that our universities are the places where students can learn relevant skills to succeed during the green transition.”

As countries struggle to keep below the 1.5°C climate benchmark, Mr Nusseibeh said universities must lead in the face of the “defining challenge of our lifetime”.

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“Education and skills will be the drivers of the green transition and they will also address the fears of those that see this transition as a killer of jobs and economic opportunity,” he said.

“The answer is not to stay anchored in the past but to evolve with the world, hopefully one or two steps ahead – to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.”

Speaking at the summit, which was held at New York University Abu Dhabi, he added: “By definition, the mission of higher education is never finished.

“That’s the basis of the scientific method and of intellectual enquiry.”

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Sonia Ben Jaafar, chief executive of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, said a shift into green skills across the region should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat.

“We have a very big youth bulge, which is often talked about in negative terms, like it’s a problem,” she said.

“But…that is a young population [and] if we can get education and opportunities into their hands that’s a talent pool – it’s not a problem.”

For Dr Ben Jaafar, the importance of sustainability was not new, but the world had reached a point where “it is critical that we act differently”.

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“And for us to act differently, we need to think differently. That’s where the universities can shift how the next generation is thinking.”

However, she said, greater diversity – particularly among senior leadership – was needed across the region to meet the diverse range of problems that it faces.

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patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com