WorldSkills Champions Trust representative Narmeen Almarzooqi advocates bridging disciplines through skills

Narmeen Almarzooqi, a young computational systems student from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, has been named the new WorldSkills Champions Trust representative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Competing in IT Software Solutions for Business at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, Narmeen balanced her university studies with intensive training to earn her place on the global stage.

Reflecting on her WorldSkills journey, Narmeen recalls how an unexpected opportunity led her to represent the UAE in France. A student of the Bachelor of Science in Computational Systems at Zayed University, she initially applied for the robotics skill through ACTVET’s Skills Hub programme without success.

However, her potential was recognized, and her CV was passed on to the IT Software Solutions Expert. “A few days after that, I got a message from him saying, ‘Hey, do you want to train for WorldSkills? Maybe you’ll get the chance to go to France for the 47th WorldSkills Competition.’ And I was like, wow! Sometimes you have a certain plan in mind, but then God’s plan is so much better,” explains Narmeen, while highlighting how enriching it was to train for the Competition. “It’s not just IT, there is the business aspect and understand the needs of the client,” she adds.

As a woman in STEM, Narmeen has a unique perspective on gender representation in technical fields. She explains that in the Gulf, particularly in the UAE, more women than men graduate in STEM fields, contrary to global trends. She was shocked to see the gender imbalance at the Competition, with only one other woman, from Singapore, competing in her skill.

Coming from an interdisciplinary college, Narmeen deeply believes in a flexible approach to learning. While she studies computational systems, she is also working with Masdar – a renewable energy company – on youth-focused sustainability initiatives, and recently obtained a Global Journalism Qualification Certificate from CNN Academy. “It’s good to be good at many things, but you need to have that one thing you’re great at,” she says, pointing out that what makes you stand out is being able to find the intersections between different fields. “That’s what leads to innovation,” she says, “It’s like a game of chess. You unlock one skill and find out that there are so many things that intersect, but also new things that you could do.”

As highlighted by skills experts and policymakers, the future of work will need workers to upskill and reskill more than once during their professional lives. Narmeen thinks that a multidisciplinary mindset right from school can help future generations adapt, be more career ready, and reach their full potentials.

“You don’t always need to be part of major programs to build these skills, sometimes personal hobbies or curiosity can be just as powerful,” she stresses.

Her WorldSkills experience, and particularly the training received by her Experts before the Competition, reinforced the importance of adaptability and collaboration. “The cultural diversity was incredible. The training was intense, but the team-building sessions we had – where Experts taught us soft skills like self-control and strategic thinking – were just as valuable as the technical training,” she says.

Joining the WorldSkills Champions Trust is an opportunity for Narmeen to continue growing on an international level. She was impressed by inspiring Champions like Shweta and Yousra, and attracted by the chance to engage with the United Nations and attend the WorldSkills Conference. “This opportunity aligns perfectly with my future aspirations in global affairs and public policy,” says Narmeen.

During her term as WorldSkills Champions Trust representative for MENA, she hopes to inspire others to embrace interdisciplinary learning and explore the vast possibilities that skills training offers.