GCC countries, like many others across the globe, have an abundance of potential in their youth population, who are eager to adopt new technologies and new ways of learning. To support growth and nurture the ambition, talent, and drive of their youth, GCC governments should seed, catalyse, and enable the growth of the Maker Movement. By leveraging GCC resources in creating and promoting the Maker Movement in place, GCC nations could reap the rewards of youth-oriented innovation and entrepreneurship as part of their future development.
The movement’s direct impact, however, is only part of the equation. Still greater is its potential to catalyse GCC innovation in such key areas as manufacturing, education, community, and entrepreneurship.
- Manufacturing The Maker Movement is inextricably linked to factors driving the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), promoting such trends as small-scale manufacturing and assembly, with manufacturing hubs closer to raw materials and/or end consumers.
- Education The movement can influence existing education models to cultivate a culture of lifelong learning and experimentation with a shift towards “hands-on” learning, learning-by-doing, and innovative thinking. It can prepare the workforce for the industries of tomorrow.
- Community The movement promotes community values and engagement with civic institutions. By bringing together relevant institutions and enablers, it can catalyze local production and enterprise, thus enabling job growth and prosperity for the local economy.
- Entrepreneurship The Maker Movement is an expression of entrepreneurial spirit: The ecosystem proactively enables and promotes entrepreneurship by reducing barriers to entry throughout, and providing access to, the entire product value chain.
A catalyst for innovation
