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): 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: and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

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

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:

• As shown in the chart above, several sectors can be tackled by the college of engineering graduates. Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering graduates can be recruited in more than one sector using their skills respectively in software development, ICT, cyber security, artificial intelligence, computer engineering, electronics, communication, power, and control and robotics. Such sectors include education, construction, manufacturing, public administration, and heath sector. Master of Energy Engineering graduates can as well be recruited in the manufacturing and construction industries.

• According to the market study done by IPSOS, the scientific research and development grew by 14.6% in 2017 -2021 frame comparatively to the 2015-2016. Also, the programming and broadcasting activities grew by 16.7%. This is very good indicator to the recruitment of our college of engineering graduates where they can continue their scientific research, or work in ICT and communication fields.

• Also, based on the market study, in the technology sector, the IT spending in Saudi Arabia is expected to rise by 4.2% in 2021 and reach 41.6 billion: “Saudi Arabia aims to create 20,000 AI and data specialists and experts by 2030”. This area fits very well our new CS program and gives the chance to our graduates to seek such jobs. On the other hand, in the industry sector, under the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP), 1,600,000 jobs are expected to be created by 2030, giving a very good opportunity to our graduates from all programs to secure a job. Also, our ECE graduates can be seeking jobs in the health sector especially in the “Medical Appliances” which is a booming a needed sector in Saudi Arabia.

• Overall, and according to the following chart, it is evident that engineering, electrical and electronics, oil and gas, and IT and ICT 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 all programs covered by Effat College of Engineering.

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

• 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.

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

PEmployer Point of View (POV)

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

• 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)

• It is worth noting that students’ enrollment in the Ambassador Program and 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.

• Besides, CS and ECE programs are ABET accredited, representing an international exposure for both programs, a certification 80% of employers are looking for.

• Also, the market study showed that 70% of the employers who claimed they are likely to hire from Effat stated that it was due to several reasons: the Technical Knowledge, especially the Science programs which relate to the college of engineering graduates.

• As for the employers’ willingness to hire candidates by different programs offered by Effat University, as indicated in the chart below, there is high demand for all degrees offered by the Effat College of Engineering. The recruitment is mainly driven by AI/ VR, cloud technology, IT/ICT, especially programming and coding, Data Management, Energy, Automation in Manufacturing, and New Technologies.

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

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

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

• In Effat College of Engineering, the Departments have international and national partners. For example, the Computer Science department partnered with Syracuse University and Tokai University. The Electrical and Computer Engineering department partnered with Duke University. The Departments established many agreements throughout the years, including agreements with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Sandford University, King Abdulaziz University, etc.

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

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

Program

BSc Electrical and Computer Engineering

BSc Computer Science

MSc Energy Engineering

Specializations

Computer Engineering

Communication and signal processing

Microelectronics

Power and control system

Artificial intelligence

Cyber security

Petroleum engineering

Renewable energy

Demand likely to be in the following sectors These programs, drive the innovation and start ups in the kingdom

• 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 Effat College of Engineering show excellent technical knowledge, communication, interpersonal, problemsolving, and practical exposure, among the most important characteristics employers are looking for.

• The CS program requires 180 hours of internship completion, while Electrical and Computer Engineering requires 360 hours of internships. 62% of employers consider this an essential skill in new employees.

Students

Point of View (POV)

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

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

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

• As shown in the figure below, the Computer Science program with its two tracks (Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity) is leading the ECoE program by reaching 11% of the interests of the total EU student body. The Electrical and Computer Engineering program reached 6% of the students.

• 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:

• Before deciding on EU, current students planned on visiting the university’s official website, seeking advice from their families, and visiting the university’s campus, as shown in the figure below:

• According to current students, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity tracks) is the graduation stream of preferred choice for higher or further education, as shown in the figure below. It represents 14% of the most preferred option among all others and 12% of other preferred:

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

Potential UG Students

• Quality of education, reputation of the university and the career opportunities are the top reasons high school students consider Effat University. When comparing results with the overall universities, availability of dorms, international affiliations and ties with foreign universities are significantly higher for Effat University as shown in the chart 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:

• When looking at programs offered by Effat College of Engineering, computer engineering was the top-rated field by the prospective students, with 25% of them. In comparison, Artificial Intelligence is the second choice with 21%. Other areas also reached the interest of the prospective students (Cyber Security, Communication and signal processing, Micro-electronics, Power and control systems) as shown below:

• The chart below from the market study shows that among the PG prospective students, 25% of the Jeddah respondents are interested in Petroleum Engineering, while 27% are from Dammam. While for Renewable Energy, 27% of the respondents are from Dammam, and 21% are from Riyadh (48%). This is a good indicator of offering the MSEE program in a flexible manner to attract more students to the program.