NCSI data reveals students in Oman need for more practical training

Muscat: More than a third of private higher education students believe they will have a better chance of joining the labour market if they have a university degree.
According to a poll conducted by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), 61 per cent of students believe that higher education better qualifies them for securing a job, while 48 per cent said university education is just satisfactory.
About 15 per cent of college students said that despite attending university courses, they do not feel it equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the job market.
College student Faisal Miran said, “We live in an ever changing reality and the skills, which are required in the job market are constantly evolving, changing and becoming more demanding.”
“Unfortunately, some of my college studies are not always relevant and up-to-date vis-a-vis our fast paced reality.”
“This is why when some students are exposed to the job market, the get shocked that most of the things they’ve learnt over the years were unnecessary and redundant,” said Miran.
NCSI reported that 66 per cent of male students believe their degrees help them find jobs, while only 59 per cent of female students thought that the degree helps.
Labour market value
Sixty-seven per cent of students pursuing business, social sciences and literature strongly feel that their degrees hold relevance and value in terms of meeting the requirements of the labour market, according to NCSI.
More than two-thirds of private higher education students, accounting for 69 per cent, feel that there are limited opportunities for practical training and many of them feel it negatively impacts their chances of getting a job.
Miran said, “In my opinion, the skills and the amount of knowledge that I gain from a practical course in my college are much more beneficial and valuable, compared to a completely theoretical course.”
Another student said colleges should teach them more practical things that can help them land a job. “In my point of view, I see that our college provides us with some skills, but we need more, for example, practice on writing business reports or ways of writing and presenting CVs, as well as practice job interviews,” said Saada Al Mamari.
“Moreover, I think that our college is taking care of theoretical studies more than practical tasks. We need more practical courses,” said Al Mamari.
According to NCSI, 46 per cent of the respondents in the poll felt that their curriculum needs to be redesigned to better suit the requirements of the labour market. 42 per cent felt that the lack of English language skills gives them a lesser chance of landing a job while 43 per cent felt that they lacked proper research capabilities.