The Middle East is experiencing an unprecedented time in its history. The UAE is on the cusp of opening the Gulf’s first indoor vertical farm, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia now owns the world’s largest 3D printer, and Bahrain is about to open a fully underwater theme park. At the centre of this drive for innovation, progress and change are the people.
With more young people than ever working in the Middle East is it imperative that the desire for social change is not only understood but embraced, so how do we ensure that we capture what it means to be Future Ready for the upcoming generations?
The cosmopolitan and transient nature of the population, with young expatriates sharing offices with young local talent, has resulted in the exchange of knowledge from across the globe on the key challenges facing governments, businesses and communities in the region.
No longer do young people stay in a job for their whole career and settle into a paycheck and a family life, they seek purpose through contributing to the solutions of future issues such as climate change, ageing populations, loneliness and rapid urbanisation.
The most obvious response to these upcoming problems is to enhance our technology, infrastructure and mobility; however, as a society, we need to give the younger generations the space and the tools to really prepare us for the future, their future. We must encourage them into our industry, into our businesses and into our communities to truly become Future Ready.
Being Future Ready in the Middle East it is not only important to identify the need for driverless vehicles and smarter buildings, but it's also about identifying the need to maintain heritage and identity. Young people don’t want to transform who they are and where they are from, they want to be empowered to transform their future enabling their communities to thrive amidst an ever-transforming world for years to come.