Introduction
In
many Arab workplaces, you might be surprised to discover that one of the most
experienced, competent, and influential individuals within the work environment
doesn't hold a university degree, and may even possess only a secondary
qualification. Despite this, everyone turns to them when faced with complex
problems, sensitive operational decisions, or when systems malfunction and
practical experience becomes more important than theory. This paradox raises
very important questions!
Is
a degree alone the true measure of professional competence? Can accumulated
practical experience be transformed into knowledge worthy of recognition and
appreciation?
1.
The reality proven by global labor markets is that academic education is a
fundamental and important element, but it is not the sole element in creating
experts. The modern world is built on the shoulders of skilled technicians,
operations experts, field supervisors, technologists, and those with extensive
practical experience.
2.
Often, a person who has spent twenty or thirty years in the field has acquired
profound knowledge no less valuable than academic knowledge, and may even
surpass it in some practical aspects. This is why several developed countries
have established professional systems that recognize what is called
"certified professional experience," or what is known globally as
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) systems. These systems are based on a
simple and fair idea: that a person can acquire genuine knowledge and skills
through work, practice, and experience, making this experience eligible for
professional and academic evaluation and certification.
How
is practical experience validated for Joseph to become an expert?
1.
Practical tests, competency assessments, technical interviews, portfolios,
rigorous professional standards, and a genuine connection to labor market
needs. This highlights the turning point the Arab world needs today.
2.
Many of our societies still sometimes view vocational or technical education
less favorably than traditional academic education, even though major
industrial economies were fundamentally built on: skill, mastery, discipline,
and practical experience.
Is
building a genuine economic and developmental renaissance achieved simply by
graduating large numbers of degree holders?
No
– rather, it's achieved by cultivating individuals capable of: accomplishment,
production, problem-solving, development, and professional leadership.
Therefore, it has become essential to consider establishing an Arab system
based on governing career paths, linking education to the labor market,
recognizing practical competence, and transforming accumulated experience into
a recognized national and economic value.
Is
a true expert born by chance?
No
– rather, they are cultivated by a real-world learning environment, continuous
practical training, a culture that values mastery, and systems that measure
competence, not just paperwork. The Arab world possesses a vast human resource
of experienced professionals who have spent many years in operations, industry,
maintenance, management, construction, services, and various technologies, such
as Joseph.
Why
is professional expertise being lost in the Arab world?
A
significant portion of this expertise is lost over time because we haven't yet
transformed it into an institutional system capable of:
Documenting
knowledge, transferring expertise, training new generations, and cultivating
future experts.
Is
it time to shift from a culture focused on the value of a degree to a deeper
culture focused on the value of what one can achieve?
Nations
are not built on degrees alone, but on competence, experience, creativity, and
genuine work. Perhaps the next turning point in the Arab world will be the day
when professional experience and competence are recognized.
Bridging
Competencies Initiative: Bridging—derived from the word "bridge," a
linguistic metaphor in management and education—means creating a pathway that
allows individuals to move from an intermediate level of education to a higher
level (a bachelor's degree) without having to start from scratch.
Competencies—a combination of practical skills, theoretical knowledge, and
accumulated experience that enables a person to perform their job with
excellence.
Initiative
Description:
1.
A system that aims to recognize and convert experience into academic credits,
instead of telling an experienced technician, "Your experience has no
academic value; you must study for four years."
2.
We tell the experienced technician, "We recognize that your current skills
are equivalent to 50% of university coursework. Therefore, we will build a
bridge for you to enter university halfway and study only what you lack."
3.
In short: Bridging skills is "transitioning from field experience to an
academic degree" through a structured path that respects what individuals
have learned throughout their working years.
Dimensions
of Bridging Competencies:
1.
Professional Dimension: Bridging the gap between technicians and specialists.
2.
Social Dimension: Raising morale and social standing among a broad segment of
creative technicians.
3.
Academic Dimension: Linking technical education with university education, a
connection lacking in many systems.
4.
Economic Dimension: Transforming underutilized or undocumented expertise into a
formally recognized workforce, thereby increasing the value of the nation's
human capital.
5.
Technical Dimension: Regularizing the status of experienced individuals and
transforming them into a highly qualified workforce capable of entrepreneurship
and establishing small and medium-sized enterprises based on scientific
principles.
Required
Implementation Mechanisms:
Legislatively:
1.
A decision allowing technological universities to adopt a blended learning
system based on experience.
2.
Issuing regulations allowing technological universities to equate documented
experience certificates with credit hours.
Administratively:
1.
Establishing an "Experience Assessment Center" to review the
portfolios of technicians. 2. National Database: Includes experts in rare
specializations whose experience has been "accumulated."
3.
Governance: Subjecting practical experience to standardized competency tests to
determine the appropriate academic level.
Technically:
1.
Specialized Bachelor of Technology Degree: Awarded based on (70% practical
experience + 30% supplementary study).
2.
Forming a committee of (academics + labor market experts) to design
"comprehensive competency tests" for each specialization.
3.
National Assessment Center: A joint committee of academics and industry experts
to establish professional achievement standards for each specialization.
4.
Bridging Programs: Designing bridging diplomas focusing on administrative
sciences and languages to enhance the technician's skills to become a
technical manager.
Technical
Components for Implementation:
1.
Credit Hour System: Calculating a percentage of bachelor's degree credit hours
based on (years of experience + international training certificates + passing
aptitude tests). 2. Proficiency Tests: Comprehensive tests (practical and
theoretical) are designed to measure an individual's mastery of specialized
skills, and based on these results, the student is placed in the appropriate
academic level.
3.
Complementary Track: Students in this track focus their university studies on
administrative sciences, law, modern technologies, and languages to ensure
the graduation of qualified professionals capable of management and technical
leadership.
Experience
Credit System:
1.
Instead of starting from scratch, technicians wishing to pursue further studies
are awarded immediate credits based on their documented years of experience:
Five years of experience = equivalent to 30 credits (one academic year).
Ten years of experience = equivalent to 60 credits (two academic years).
2.
Technicians study only theoretical and administrative subjects such as quality,
languages, and entrepreneurship to obtain a bachelor's degree in just two
years. • Awarding an Official Accredited Certificate:
1.
The certificate is not awarded simply for years of experience, but through a
process called "equivalence and evaluation."
2.
Portfolio: The applicant submits documentation of their work, photos, client
testimonials, or patents.
3.
Standardized Tests: The applicant undergoes a (theoretical and practical) test
administered by an academic or technical body to ensure they possess the
scientific and practical knowledge behind their manual practice.
4.
A "Professional Bachelor's Degree" or "equivalent professional
qualification" issued by an official body (Ministry of Education or a
professional authority) is valid for employment, promotion, and further
professional studies. • Stakeholder Analysis Those Affected:
In
management science, there is no such thing as a "harmed" party in the
negative sense. However, there are parties that may experience "resistance
to change," namely:
1.
Traditional Universities: They may fear a devaluation of academic degrees (and
can be reassured that this system applies only to technical disciplines and not
to fields like medicine or civil engineering).
2.
The Informal Labor Market: Owners of unlicensed workshops may be negatively
impacted because "educated" technicians will demand higher rights and
job titles (which is in the state's interest to regulate the informal sector).
3.
The Civil Service: In government jobs, the "academic qualification"
registered with the Ministry of Higher Education is the primary criterion.
Therefore, someone with experience may not be classified as an
"engineer" in government records unless they have completed a
recognized academic program.
4.
In most countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, professional
associations like the Engineers Syndicate require a degree from a recognized
university and a "full-time" program. Professional certifications
based on experience often do not grant membership in these sovereign
professional associations.
Research
and preparation by Badr Al-Din Ahmed
تعليم السلامة واللحام Safety and Welding Education
مدونة السلامة واللحام ـ Safety and Welding Education
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