From Classrooms to Cloud: How EdTech is Shaping MENA’s Education Landscape

September 25, 2025

As teenagers approach adulthood and their college years, they are faced with life-altering decisions that shape their educational and career paths for years to come. Yet the guidance they need is often out of reach. School counselors, tasked with steering students toward suitable futures, are frequently burdened with overwhelming workloads that limit their ability to offer individualized support.

This is where Tareekey steps in.

An AI-powered counseling platform, Tareekey is designed to alleviate the pressure on both students and counselors by mapping out career and educational pathways tailored to each student’s interests, performance, and current market trends—making the guidance more personalized and practical.

To explore how educational technology is transforming student support systems across the region—and reshaping the way students learn, connect, and prepare for the future—we spoke with Ali Sabra, Lead Technical Consultant at Tareekey. His insight sheds light on how technology is unlocking new possibilities for personalized and accessible guidance.

The Story of Tareekey: What It Is and How It Works

In OECD countries, two in five teenage students have no defined career plan (OECD, 2024). In the United States, students spend on average of 20 minutes per year with their counselor (NAPCA Foundation, n.d.). And globally, nearly 40% of students still lack access to basic career counseling services (FLAME University, 2024).

Tareekey addresses this growing and urgent challenge—helping students navigate an increasingly uncertain future.

As an educational counseling platform, Tareeky aims to take the pressure off school counselors while providing students with data-driven career guidance tailored to their interests and the context of their country. The platform conducts a capability assessment and, as Mr. Sabra describes, “uses both academic performance and interactive conversations to establish an ideal educational and career pathway.” By combining sentiment analysis, grades, and real-world data, Tareekey recommends suitable majors and career options.  It also offers suggestions to strengthen a student’s profile even before the application process begins.

Why EdTech, and Why Now?

In the last two years, Large Language Models (LLMs) have advanced tremendously, making the concept of intelligent agents more accessible than ever. In regions like India, where many students remain underrepresented, learners often turn to platforms like ChatGPT for help. However, Mr. Sabra notes that these tools are “not designed to deliver accurate or context-specific guidance. [Tareekey] stands out as one built specifically to meet students’ unique educational needs.”

Impact on Job Markets, Job Seeking, and School Counseling

The nature of work is evolving rapidly, driven by automation and AI. Companies are redefining roles, leaving students uncertain about what their future might look like. School counselors, already stretched thin, can’t always provide the guidance students need to navigate these shifts.

That’s where AI-powered career guidance like Tareekey comes in. By offering structured advice and real-time insights into the labor market, such platforms give students the tools and confidence to make informed decisions in an unpredictable world.

Tareekey is set to become a valuable asset for school counselors. Overworked and handling far more students than they can effectively manage, counselors often struggle to provide personalized guidance. With Tareekey, they receive concise “cheat sheets” on each student, summarizing personality traits and providing key statistics they need to make informed recommendations. Beyond counselors, the platform also benefits students and job seekers by “offering insights into niche, high-paying careers that align with their interests and strengths.”

Adapting Career Recommendations to Local Markets and Emerging Sectors

Tareekey carefully adapts its recommendations to local labor markets, cultural expectations, and emerging sectors in the region. One challenge Mr. Sabra notes is cultural bias in available data.

“For instance, a dataset might show that computer science jobs are overwhelmingly held by men. This doesn’t mean women can’t pursue these careers, it simply reflects a broader social bias. To address this, we scrutinize every dataset we use and supplement it with reliable sources, including World Bank data and local datasets that may be in Arabic or tucked away on government websites. By comparing local and regional data, we ensure students have a comprehensive, accurate picture, empowering them to make informed decisions based on all the information available.”

This attention to context ensures that Tareekey provides guidance that is both culturally aware and grounded in real-world labor market realities.

Preparing Students for a Rapidly Changing Workforce

Ultimately, the long-term vision held by the team behind Tareekey is to make the platform increasingly powerful in helping students discover better career paths.

As Mr. Sabra explains, the emerging generation is often labelled the “generation of anxiety.” They are uncertain about their futures and overwhelmed by the pressure to make the right choices. Tareekey aims to reduce that stress and help students confidently navigate this complex landscape.

From Learning to Earning: Where HR Comes In

While platforms like Tareekey guide students in choosing the right academic and career paths, the transition from education to employment requires continued support. This is where HR consultancies play a vital role.

Fisher works closely with both employers and job seekers to bridge the gap between education and employability. From career coaching and interview preparation to identifying in-demand skills and aligning talent with market needs, our work complements the wider ecosystem helping students move from learning to earning. By fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and talent, we help create a more resilient and future-ready workforce.

A Broader Impact on the Future of Work

By providing students with AI-powered career guidance today, platforms like Tareekey don’t just help individuals make better choices—they help shape the workforce of tomorrow. These platforms contribute to stronger, more adaptable organizations and a labor market better equipped to meet the challenges of the future.

At Fisher, we recognize the growing role EdTech plays in shaping future talent. As the education-to-employment journey grows more data-driven and personalized, the role of HR consultancies becomes essential—helping individuals not only identify the right career paths but also build the skills to thrive in them.

In this way, AI-powered counseling serves as more than just a tool—it’s an investment in both human potential and workforce resilience.

References:

FLAME University. (2024, October 25). Over 80% students benefit from career counselling, 40% lack access: Report. FLAME University. https://www.flame.edu.in/in-the-media/over-80-students-benefit-from-career-counselling-40-lack-access-report

Interview with Ali Sabra, Lead Technical Consultant at Tareekey, conducted on September 23, 2025. NAPCA Foundation. (n.d.). About NAPCA. NAPCA Foundation. https://napcafoundation.org/about-napca/

OECD. (2024). Teenage career uncertainty: Why it matters and how to reduce it? OECD Education Spotlights, No. 16. OECD Publishing.https://doi.org/10.1787/e89c3da9-en