Strategic Brain Drain: Implications for Higher Education in Oman

Oman will soon be producing three times more college graduates than there are jobs available in the country each year, forcing graduates to seek employment outside of Oman. Their success in securing and holding employment will be based more on training and performance than might be the case if they were working in Oman. If graduates find that the quality of their college education does not adequately prepare them to compete in the international labor market, it is likely that their discontent will lead to pressure, particularly on private colleges and universities (all of which are established as for-profit enterprises), to improve the quality of their instruction. This could accentuate the tension private higher education institutions already experience between ensuring investors receive a competitive return on their investment and investing those funds in raising instructional quality. Actions that the higher education community can take to prepare for and help mitigate the impact of these tensions are discussed.