This article traces the evolution of knowledge-based economic development in the Arab

The movement of many Arab countries toward knowledge-based economic development requires the transition to more effective skills formation systems. This paper proposes an institutionalist approach to national skills development systems in the advancement toward knowledge-based economic development. There is currently no accepted general framework to analyze national skills development systems, and this has resulted in countries adopting reactive approaches to skills development problems. The conceptual framework advanced is an integrated, systemic view of national skills formation systems guided by government intervention in light of rampant failures of skills formation approaches that rely exclusively upon market mechanisms. The framework contributes to the skills formation literature by reviewing, synthesizing, and building on the literature from a multidisciplinary perspective. It considers the relevant institutions and interests of key stakeholders as highly interrelated in the context of knowledge-based economic development and achievement of accompanying economic, political, and social objectives in the Arab World. Keywords: skills formation, knowledge economy, skills development policy, economic development, lifelong learning, Arab World. تتطلب حركة العديد من الدول العربية نحو التنمية الاقتصادية القائمة على المعرفة الانتقال إلى أنظمة

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In Latin America and the Caribbean anecdotal evidence from business leaders, the press, and numerous government reports suggest many firms express a serious concern that they face internal employee skills deficiencies that limit performance, a phenomenon that has been labeled as a "skills gap". This article explores the extent of national skills gaps; the importance of skills gaps relative to other business challenges; the industries facing the most severe skills gaps; and the prevalence of skills gaps by firm size. Based on international example, the article also discusses the ramifications of skills gaps on firms and regional competitiveness.Las evidencias anecdóticas de líderes empresariales, de la prensa y de numerosos informes gubernamentales sobre América Latina y el Caribe sugieren que son muchas las empresas que muestran una seria preocupación respecto a las deficiencias en las habilidades de competencia y conocimiento de sus empleados internos y cómo estas deficiencias merman su rendimiento. El fenómeno se ha bautizado como "brecha de habilidades" y en este artículo analizamos su alcance en cada país, así como la importancia de la brecha de habilidades comparada con otros retos empresariales, los sectores industriales que se enfrentan a brechas de habilidades más graves y la prevalencia de la brecha de habilidades según el tamaño de la empresa. A partir de ejemplos internacionales, el artículo también analiza el modo en que la brecha de habilidades se extiende por la empresa y afecta a su competitividad regional.As provas especulativas retiradas dos relatórios de líderes empresariais, da Imprensa e de vários organismos públicos da América Latina e das Caraíbas sugerem que muitas empresas revelam uma séria preocupação, porquanto enfrentam deficiências ao nível das competências dos colaboradores internos que limitam o seu desempenho, um fenómeno que foi denominado "lacunas nas competências" (skills gap). Este artigo aborda a dimensão das lacunas nas competências a nível nacional, a importância das lacunas nas competências relativamente a outros desafios empresariais, os sectores que enfrentam as maiores lacunas nas competências e a prevalência das lacunas nas competências por dimensão das empresas. Com base em exemplos internacionais, o presente artigo também abrange as ramificações das lacunas nas competências no que diz respeito à competitividade das empresas e das regiões.