Coursera Women Leadership Summit MEA 2024 Drives Workforce Equity and AI Empowerment

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Coursera’s inaugural Women Leadership Summit MEA 2024, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, highlighted the pivotal role of Generative AI in dismantling barriers to workplace accessibility and equity, aiming to bolster women’s participation in the region’s workforce.

The event underscored Coursera’s dedication to fostering talent transformation in the Middle East and Africa, celebrating female empowerment and success across diverse sectors like technology, telecommunications, and education. Notable industry experts, including Professor Barbara Oakley, PhD, PE, emphasized how Generative AI can revolutionize learning and address economic challenges facing Arab economies.

With many young people, especially women, not entering the workforce despite advancements in education, there’s a pressing need to align skills with market demands. Generative AI offers a unique opportunity to bridge this gap, paving the way for a tech-savvy workforce primed for future jobs.

The summit highlighted two key issues: the uneven transition to the digital economy and entrenched socio-cultural norms hindering women’s economic participation. It advocated for embracing new job roles like prompt engineering and data analysis, offering remote work opportunities that bypass traditional barriers.

Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer at Coursera, stressed the importance of providing equal access to new technologies to prevent gender biases in future digital economies. The summit also focused on strategies to encourage women’s participation in STEM fields and enhance their representation in leadership roles, applauding initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 for promoting women’s engagement in STEM programs.

The Coursera Women Leadership Summit MEA 2024 reaffirmed Coursera’s commitment to fostering equal opportunities in the region, reflecting its dedication to collaboration and innovation in pursuit of workforce equity.