Donors, education practitioners, and private sector leaders gathered in Dubai for an interactive workshop hosted by Circle and Na’amal, a nonprofit social enterprise equipping refugees and underserved communities with marketable digital skills.
The session focused on reimagining how philanthropic and impact investments can better support inclusive education-to-work transitions.
Participants engaged in group discussions around three core themes:
- Designing for Impact and Scale: What drives long-term success in education-to-work initiatives beyond just numbers?
- Collaborating for Systems Change: How can cross-sector partnerships unlock deeper, more sustainable impact?
- Normalising Informal Pathways: What infrastructure and mindsets are needed to embrace non-traditional learning and employment routes?
The workshop opened with the announcement of a new partnership between Na’amal and Arizona State University’s Education for Humanity initiative, which has a strong track record in refugee education. Through this collaboration, learners enrolled in Na’amal’s Human Skills for Digital Work course will now be able to earn ASU microcredentials and access content offline via the Beekee Hub, a portable learning device.
A panel discussion followed, featuring Lorraine Charles, founder of Na’amal; Marc Sperger; and Aldana AlHamshi, a visually impaired Emirati disability advocate representing ImInclusive, a UAE-based social enterprise promoting workplace accessibility.
The group explored barriers to inclusive learning and employment, and challenged funders and practitioners to rethink their approaches to delivering equitable impact, before attendees broke out into three separate work groups.
Designed to be participatory and solutions-oriented, the event showcased best practices and explored new ways to expand and scale pathways from education to work. Participants left with actionable ideas and strategies—ranging from program design to cross-sector partnerships—that can drive measurable impact and advance access to dignified and sustainable work.
Coming soon: a summary of findings and actions from the workshop discussion.
