Will an MBA help you land a job in the current market scenario?

The jobs market has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic – a recent report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that employment in the Asia and Pacific region alone will drop by 4.2 per cent in 2020 to 1.839 billion persons from the pre-crisis estimate of 1.920 billion employed.

This implies “an expected jobs gap of 81 million across the region”, the report stated.

“The impact of the crisis has been far-reaching, with underemployment surging as millions of workers are asked to work reduced hours or no hours at all, ” it added.

In such a fiercely competitive market, it has become crucial for students and workers to ensure that they are skilled to meet the requirements in the market – especially when it comes to higher education and specialised degrees.

According to the International MBA Survey 2020 report released by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and Business Graduates Association (BGA), most employers that recruit MBA-specific roles were concerned about the global economy due to the pandemic.

However, 93 per cent of the employers rated MBA graduates as being ‘excellent’, ‘very good’ and ‘fairly good’ employees, with up to 80 per cent ‘strongly agreeing’ or ‘tending to agree’ that MBA grads have the relevant skills to thrive at their organisation.

When asked whether MBA graduates had the skills and capacity to become senior leaders at leading global businesses, 45 per cent of the employers ‘strongly agreed’ while 40 per cent ‘tended to agree’ with the statement. In addition, 31 per cent ‘strongly agreed’ and 49 per cent ‘tended to agree’ that MBAs had the relevant skills to make a significant contribution to the wider economy in their respective countries.

Employers in the survey also highlighted the traits commonly found in MBA grads, such as enhanced analytical skills; enhanced strategic skills; greater confidence; growth in communication and presentation skills; better problem solving; a holistic view of business; enhanced critical thinking; greater focus on the task ahead / goal oriented; better decisionmaking; a global mindset; improved financial acumen (and a tendency to demand a higher salary); and agility and flexibility.

In a bid to provide those skillsets and also cater more specifically to demands in the market, the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), the first international university in the UAE and the premier Australian university in the region, now offers a variety of masters programmes.

The university’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) is the first programme at UOWD that features blended learning methods. Delivered in a condensed mode, the core subjects are designed to engage students with industry leaders and networking opportunities.  Additionally, all the subjects offered at the university will give students the opportunity to engage in study trips abroad, real-time masterclasses, and conference activities with senior executives and knowledge experts.

Other business programmes offered at the university include its new Master of Business Analytics programme, which has been designed in consultation with SAS, a global leader in analytics. The degree aims to help outgoing student graduates develop technical, analytical and decision-making skills.

Other programmes include Master of Business (Innovation and Entrepreneurship), Master of Business (Financial Management), Master of Business (International Business), Master of Science (Logistics and Supply Chain Management), Master of Business (Marketing), and Master of Business (Human Resource Management).

It also has a specialised masters degree in luxury management called the Global Executive Master in Luxury Management (GEMLux) programme.

All the degrees are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the UAE Ministry of Education – Higher Education Affairs and are licenced by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). They are also accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

This year, UOWD also opened its massive Campus of the Future at Dubai Knowledge Park, where students can take advantage of its blended learning model.

For further information on the programmes and enquiries, please click here