III. Summary of Market Scan Findings

• IPSOS conducted an in-depth market research on the KSA Education market in December 2021 with the following objectives to develop a sound strategic plan for Effat University (EU):

1. Macroeconomic and Employment Landscape – Economic profile of KSA and its key industries, current and future demand of programs of KSA

2. POV – Employers – Interviewing potential employers within institutions in the target segment to understand the expectations from candidates and programs

3. POV – Students & Parents – Understanding the perceptions and attitudes of the current students and potential students and their parents, towards universities and programs

• To achieve the objective, IPSOS conducted a comprehensive desk research, quantitative survey with 875+ stakeholders (employers (50), current students (154), potential students (61) and parents (112) of the potential students), backed up by qualitative research for deeper insights.

• Here are the key findings from the research for the School of Cinematic Arts (Bachelor of Science in Cinematic Arts including animation and direction & production tracks).

Macroeconomic and Employment Landscape

• While oil remains the major export product for Saudi Arabia, its dominance of the total export share for the country has declined over the past few years as shown in the graph below:

• 80% of the population is employed by private companies while 20% are in government services.

• 56% of the employed population is at the bachelor’s or equivalent level.

• Human Capital Development Program (HCDP) has set a goal to raise the percentage of higher education graduates in employment within six months of graduation from 4.5% in 2019 to 20% in 2025.

• It is worth to mention that this graph lacks information about the growing entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia which cinematic art department including animation, direction and production tracks can support.

• It is worth mentioning that travel and tourism are currently accounting for 9% of GDP and is expected to grow at an accelerated rate thanks to $65 Billion earmarked for investment into the sector with remarkable government focus on that sector. The tourism growth will be also associated with growth in entertainment sector as an accompanying sector, and thus securing more job opportunities for cinematic arts graduates.

• On the overall, and according to the following chart, it is evident that media and entertainment have 100% positive outlook reflecting the confidence of having come out the pandemic and on the path to recovery. This clearly indicates the needs for SCA graduates.

Employers’ Point of View

This module captures the willingness and likelihood of employers in KSA to hire graduates of Effat University. The findings were as follows:

• Despite a decline in overall population share, female share of total workforce has increased from 11% in 1990 to 16% in 2020.

• The chart below indicates the number of employees by sector, 2021:

• Driven by Saudization, employers across sectors noted that entry level hiring is likely to grow more than 5% in the next 3 to 5 years. 6 -10% of the employees are at entry level/fresh graduates. Saudization is expected to bring about 7.6%-12.5% growth in recruiting entry level/fresh graduate candidates.

• 70% of the employers surveyed also stated when it comes to recruiting candidates for entry level jobs, the University the candidate graduated from is the most important parameter.

• The key parameters used by employers to evaluate a university are the ‘Reputation’ of the university, its ‘Partnership with International Universities’, ‘Regional Ranking’ & ‘Past Experience’ with the students from the same university. Below is the snapshot of the universities considered as most reputed among employers:

% of the employers indicated the university name as most reputed (Unaided resoponses)

• Other programs/subjects suggested by employers that are likely to be in demand in the coming years are as follows:

% of the employers indicated the university name as most reputed (Unaided resoponses)

• Effat University’s reputation stands tall amongst the private universities, with 56% of the employers considering EU as one of the most reputed universities.

• Majority of the employers state that they consider the candidates are technically sound, with very good communication skills, in addition to holding a recognized internationally accredited degree.

• 100% of the employers in Jeddah and Makkah are aware of Effat University, followed by 60% in Riyadh, while the awareness is lower in other regions of KSA.

• 70% of the employers that are aware of EU are inclined to recruit candidates from EU in the coming years.

• EU is currently ranked as 61 – 70 in QS Arab Regional Ranking 2022, moved up from 101 – 110 ranking in 2019, tracing an upward trajectory.

• EU has established strong partnerships with 15 global universities. In Effat College of Architecture and Design, Cinematic Art has partnership with Tische University, New York, Bournemouth University, and Middle Tennesse State University.

• The table below depicts the key skills preferred by the employers in order to hire candidates:

% of the employers indicated the university name as most reputed (Unaided resoponses) communication 76%

• While the employers (~10) that are likely to recruit from Effat in the coming years are content with the positive reputation of the university, technical skills of the students, positive relationship with EU, etc., they have suggested that the candidates from EU would have a scope to work on their confidence level and interpersonal/presentation skills.

• 75% of the employers would like to receive direct communication from EU about their updated curriculum to the industry needs and newsletters about their students’ achievements which will increase their likelihood of hiring from the university.

• Graduates from SCA show great technical knowledge, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and practical exposure, which are amongst the most important characteristics employers are looking for.

• The Cinematic Arts program requires the completion of 240 hrs of internships. 62% of employers consider this an important skill in new employees.

• It is worth noting that students’ enrollment in the Ambassador Program and their participation in campus-wide activities and clubs, in addition to volunteering in events give them the practical exposure 70% of employers are looking for and the extra-curricular activities 56% of employers are looking for.

Hospitality Management 70%

Bio-Medical Engineering 70%

Public Relations 62%

Mechanical Engineering 56%

• It is clear from the graph that 58% of employers suggest that media and communication will be in demand which indicated the high future market need for Cinematic Arts graduates.

• As for the employers’ propensity to hire candidates by different programs offered by Effat University, as indicated in the chart below, there is high demand for Bachelor of Science in Cinematic Arts; driven by regional and global trends.

Existing Offerings of Effat University

Program Specializations

BSc Architecture

BSc Design

Interior design

Product design

BSc Cinematics Arts Animation

Film production and direction

MSc Urban Design

Demand likely to be in the following sectors

Arch / Interior Design Construction Product Design in Engineering & Manufacturing

Media Houses NEOM Publishing / Research (Animation)

Existing Offerings of Effat University

Program / Specialization

English Language Training & Test Preparation

Professional certificates and Diplomas (e.g.Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Risk Management, etc.)

Short Courses (e.g. PMP, Six Sigma, Soft Skills, etc.)

Specialized Programs (e.g. Robot Design, Computer Applications, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Automotive Design, Photograpyh, etc.)

Verbatimsy

“These programs are designed for working professionals for working professionals for further career development and these programs are affordable”

“With Saudization being implemented, these programs would be critical to enhance the knowledge of the existing and new employees across sectors”

“Not aware that Effat is offering these programs”

“Why aren’t these programs offered online?”

“Online programs would help the corporates to suggest and encourage their employees to do these programs”

Employers didn’t have opinion on a few programs like General Education Program (GEP)

It is worth to refer to the high demand for the short course in photography offered by SCA.

Students’ & Parents’ Point of View

• A student’s journey to choosing a university is described as follows:

Current Student

• Location, preferred subjects and reputation are the key parameters for evaluating among the universities.

• Even though the EU placement test (English & Math) are considered as moderately difficult, overall admission process at EU was seen as smooth.

• Before deciding on EU, current students planned on visiting the university’s official website, seek advice from their families and visiting the university’s campus as shown in the table below: learn about the offerings

• According to current students, offering scholarships, the availability of preferred programs and the quality of education are the reasons behind choosing EU as shown in the table below:

• According to current students, Cinematic Arts represent streams of choice for higher or further education, as shown below.

• Internet and social media are the types of media most viewed by high school student. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are the social media platforms accessed regularly as shown in the charts below:

Out access Internet / Social media

7%

Potential PG Students

• Top reasons behind considering Effat University by postgraduate students are having affordable fees, quality of education and the alumni network. When comparing the results with the overall universities, affordable fee, alumni network, international affiliations, and the faculty’s profile are reasons that are significantly higher as shown in the table below:

• After considering the overall experience as a student at EU, 6 in 10 students are satisfied with the institution. This is depicted by the table below:

• After considering the overall experience as a student at EU, 6 in 10 students are satisfied with the institution. This is depicted by the table below:

• Internet and social media as well as the television are the types of media most viewed by potential postgraduates. Instagram and Twitter are the social media platforms accessed regularly as depicted in the charts below:

Internet / Social media 99%

TV 58%

Radio 14%

Magazines 14% Newspapers 2%

Instagram

86%