## 1 Introduction  
One of the goals of the Vision 2030 programme is to enhance educational sustainability by developing a comprehensive framework for high-quality research, flexible learning, and identification of viable routes for young Saudi professionals [1; 2]. As well as their innovation and research potential, Saudi institutions' development of students' skills and capacities [3] has improved dramatically [4], suggesting a shift to digital transformation and sustainable innovation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Another shift observed in Saudi institutions has been the high-quality work published through stronger collaboration with the international and regional scientific community [5; 6]. Scientific research is considered a reliable indicator of any country's development [7]. In KSA, it is linked to remarkable improvements in technology, economics, and, ultimately, the quality of human life [8]. The world has witnessed significant progress in various fields of science (mathematics, computer science, engineering, etc. ), and most countries fully understand that investment in scientific research is vital for the emergence of science and technology, ultimately reflected in a better standard of living [9]. In the past decade, KSA has encouraged scientific research and development in sectors such as technology, commerce, science, agriculture, and industry [10]. However, researchers have noted an absence of strategic research, clear-cut policies, and sufficient research planning for the capacity-building that will uplift Saudi youth's skills to meet the needs of the job market [11; 12]. This study argues that, to align the skills of the young Saudi population to the relevant job market, it is highly desirable to analyse the gap between the market and university curricula [13]. Such analysis can enhance students' awareness of study planning tools, help to build their career pathway [14; 15], and boost their engagement and retention [16]. To the best of our knowledge, so far, no study has presented a data-driven analysis between \"required skills\" in the Saudi job market and university students' \"acquired skills\" from their training and education. Therefore, we seek to fill this space with the following contributions and guidelines for policymakers:  
1. First, we make use of the data about big data jobs available on the web and about jobs in the Saudi information and technology market;
2. Second, we explore the latest trends in required skills that promote the social impact of learning by identifying the required competencies and talents for KSA's digital transformation into a regional and global leader in technology-driven innovation;
3. Third, to facilitate data integration from multiple resources, we investigate the significance of deep learning-supported word embedding methods to map the \"required\" skills against \"acquired\" skills;
4. Fourth, to inform individuals' decisions on courses, we employ case-based reasoning to identify the gap between the market's \"required\" and their own \"acquired\" skills;
5. Finally, to advance the strategic goals of Vision 2030 through developing KSA's long-term capacities, we aim to deliver innovative research in the domains of data and AI. This study contributes directly to four integrative dimensions and beyond. First, in the corpus of knowledge of AI, ML, and learning analytics [17], through scientific methodology we employ algorithms and techniques to match KSA's labour market needs to the sophisticated job, skill, and competency profiles associated with Vision 2030. Second, in the Saudi AI market we contribute a cost-effective, efficient, and high-performing approach to developing a platform for the skills and competencies essential to long-term innovation and digital transformation. Third, we contribute to the Saudi innovation ecosystem a realistic, progressive service capable of sustained commercialisation.