Latest news with #Kharousi
Muscat Daily
21-07-2025
- Business
- Muscat Daily
Career guidance platform equips Omani students with new skills
Muscat – The National Employment Programme (NEP) has launched the second phase of services under its national career guidance platform – Khuta – to support students and jobseekers in making informed academic and professional decisions aligned with the country's evolving labour market needs. Khuta is the first national e-platform dedicated to career counselling. The new set of tools introduced in the latest phase includes AI-powered guidance services, personalised planning support and inclusive features for students with disabilities. Among the tools is 'Curriculum Plan', which enables school students – particularly those in Grade 10 – to map their academic paths based on their interests, abilities and higher education entry requirements. Another feature – Entrepreneurial Traits Scale – helps assess students' readiness for entrepreneurship using a model adapted to Oman's context. The platform now also offers 'AI Assistant', which analyses user data and suggests career and academic paths that match their skills and aspirations. A new tool tailored for visually impaired users – Career Interest Scale for the Visually Impaired – is the first of its kind in the sultanate. By the end of June, the platform had attracted more than 26,300 users. It now offers information on 861 academic programmes, 263 professional certificates and over 100 training courses in collaboration with online course provider Coursera. Over 2,460 individuals have already benefited from these online learning offerings. Dr Badr bin Hamoud al Kharousi, advisor and head of capacity building at NEP, said career guidance plays a critical role in aligning education with employment needs. 'Khuta is a key element in our national effort to equip youth with the knowledge and tools to plan their future careers,' he said. 'It was developed as a public-private partnership, in coordination with ministries and higher education institutions.' Dr Badr bin Hamoud al Kharousi According to Kharousi, the platform reflects Oman's strategy to build a knowledge-based economy by improving vocational guidance and preparing youth for a shifting economic landscape. It also supports Oman Vision 2040 goals to strengthen national human capital and enhance employability. World Economic Forum's January Skills Report recognised Khuta for its role in advancing youth readiness for the labour market. The platform's growing relevance is seen in its expansion of services, including the 'My Study' and 'My Profession' modules, offering users data on academic programmes, career options and job roles. Khuta also offers training in future skills through Coursera, mapped to the Omani National Framework for Future Skills. Users can access learning in technical, entrepreneurial and applied skills, along with professional resources and guidance support. An interactive counselling feature allows users to schedule one-on-one consultations with career advisors on topics such as academic subject selection and assessment interpretation. NEP plans to continue expanding the platform by integrating additional analytical tools and widening partnerships with training and academic institutions to further improve workforce readiness.
Muscat Daily
16-07-2025
- Science
- Muscat Daily
Rock inscriptions in Oman reveal a forgotten world
Rustaq – Rock carvings, among the oldest forms of human expression, continue to present insights into ancient life, beliefs and environmental changes. In Oman, researchers say these carvings are a unique archive of history, reflecting the region's role as a meeting point of civilisations and trade routes. Harith bin Saif al Kharousi, a specialist in rock art and Omani history, said the country's strategic location made it a significant site for such engravings. 'Stone drawings documented human events in Oman and described their lives, battles and trade routes,' he told ONA. Kharousi explained that early humans carved depictions of themselves and the animals they hunted, often expressing their beliefs and personal attributes through these visuals. 'This art is an important human archive that cannot be ignored. It needs people to study and uncover its details.' He noted that rock art in Oman mirrors global trends, chronicling changing human activity across eras shaped by climate and social shifts. Carvings were scarce during the Ice Age but resurged in the Bronze Age as populations and prey increased. 'We can represent this cycle like night and day, winter and summer, hardship and ease,' he said. Inscriptions found across the country depict animals like elephants, crocodiles and lions, pointing to a time when Oman's climate and ecology were vastly different. They also show details of professions, tools, clothing, warcraft and modes of transport – including ships carved into rocks hundreds of kilometres from the sea. 'These inscriptions also reflect early beliefs tied to celestial bodies, which people saw as hidden forces behind the universe,' Kharousi added. He said rock art plays a role in shaping identity and cultural understanding. 'This heritage can strengthen national identity and promote dialogue among people. It is a shared human language.' Highlighting his fieldwork in South Batinah, Kharousi said the governorate's coastal location and link to Dakhliyah made it a historic corridor for caravans and travellers. Many inscriptions in the area use an early Arabic script known as Old Omani script, recently identified in ongoing explorations. In Al Hajir village in Wadi Bani Kharous, researchers found numerous inscriptions left by travellers during the early Islamic period, often including names and personal notes. Harith bin Saif al Kharousi Kharousi has documented his research in the book Between History, Archaeology and Geology, describing Oman's rock art as a 'stone memory' that captures the essence of civilisational exchange in the region. 'It reflects Oman's connection to other civilisations and reconstructs the reality of life as it was thousands of years ago,' he said.
