Students seek opportunities

Students thronged the Dubai World Trade Centre last week on the opening day of the 20th Gulf Education and Training Exhibition (GETEX). Exposed to over 2,500 study options from more than 500 education providers, they were anxious to gain one of the numerous academic and career opportunities on offer.

The four-day event, held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and hosted by International Conferences and Exhibitions (IC&E), brought three categories under one roof - GETEX Careers and Training, GETEX Student Recruitment and GETEX Education Equipment and Technology.

The world of work

For most students, eager to enter the working world, the careers and training segment did the trick. The fair provided vocational opportunities to both UAE nationals and expatriates in 10 industries.

"The aim is to create a dynamic spectrum of cross-sectoral opportunities for professions with all levels of experience" said Anselm Godinho, managing director of IC&E.
Students were impressed by the variety of career options available, saying they had increased quite dramatically from the number last year.

One of those students is Raghda Thabet, a student of finance and risk management at the European University College Brussels (EHSAL) Dubai. "I'm really glad to see banks at the career fair considering my major and what I'd like to pursue in the future," she said.

"Many more companies are participating in the exhibition, and this gives us an even wider array of options."

Thabet said it is important that students keep their options open after university; the variety of options at the fair also exposed students to alternatives they may never have known were available to them.

"Often times, students think they know exactly what they want when they leave college," she said. "When, in fact, they haven't even researched their options."

Direct access

More importantly, the fair gave students direct access to employers and recruiters in the region, who are generally known for their inaccessibility. Students said that while many recruiters look at CVs, it is often easier "if you know someone who knows someone" in the company.

"You can send your CV to companies online and pray that your CV will be the one they look at out of the hundreds of CVs they probably receive every day," said Sara Al Shamsi from the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD).

"That's if they even check their e-mail. Or you can go to fairs like this one, which guarantee you some kind of direct, face-to-face interaction with companies."

Universities at your doorstep

What's the one thing every educationist advises you when choosing an institute for higher education? ‘Do your research.' But for students, that's often easier said than done.

Merely thinking about the number of options available to them often leaves students feeling overwhelmed. In fact, students claim that when they first begin their search for the right university, this feeling exacerbates.

"After you go online and read about all the different options, you become so lost and confused, said Haneen Dia, marketing student at EHSAL.

"Even the information provided, concerning issues such as scholarships and financial aid, at times doesn't make sense until someone explains it to you.

Through this exhibition, you get one-to-one interaction with representatives."

Dia also added that having the best universities under one roof, as was the case at the Student Recruitment segment of the exhibition, is also a big advantage.

"Rather than jumping from one place to another, you can speak to reps from dozens of international universities in one place," she said. "This saves time and energy."

On the spot admission

Time was certainly on Jahnavi K. Raj's side. A student from Saint Joseph's School, Abu Dhabi, she was one among a group of students at the booth set up by Anna University from India.

The university is internationally renowned for its programmes in science and engineering and was accepting applicants on an "on-the-spot" basis. Students, who had applied earlier and had come to the fair, were given confirmation on a first-come-first-serve basis. Raj was one of those students.

"Only three spots were available for the major I wanted — electronics and communications engineering," she said. "Two of them have been filled, there's only one left. Now I am tied between two other eligible applicants. I feel anxious and scared at the same time."

According to students interested in studying in India, Anna University was among the few Indian institutes available. "After I finish school, I'd like to go back to India to study," said Aparna Gobal from the Delhi Private School in Sharjah. "I'd like to see more university options from there."

Most students agreed that this exhibition, and other ones like it, proves that Dubai has become a hub of education in the region.

"I think people are getting more confident with the education that Dubai has to offer," said Arjun Goyle, mechanical engineering student at BITS, Pilani-Dubai.

"Earlier, people used to have this negative perception that Arab countries don't have much to offer in terms of academic and career prospects. But now, all that is changing."

Technology forum

Along with the exhibition there was a technology and equipment forum, mainly targeted at academic professionals, trade buyers and educational experts.

The 2008 Global Forum on Technology and Innovation in Education brought together around 150 educationists who discussed ways of improving e-learning and distance learning for higher education students.

It was organised by IC&E in collaboration with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

The speakers, who included specialists from Johns Hopkins University and the Higher Colleges of Technology, shared views on best practices in education and ways to facilitate e-learning for both faculty and students.

They discussed the importance of the content of the courses, the objectives and learning outcomes and the use of technology as a tool to enhance education.

The conference was designed to show teachers and experts new ways of using technology to create a better learning environment and enhance education delivery.

"This forum aims to develop leadership in Dubai and across the Gulf to transform education into a world-class 21st century system for the UAE," Don Knezek, chief executive officer of ISTE told Notes.

Knezek said that there is a need to understand the potential for technology use in education and to create international benchmarks to assess the quality of education in Dubai and the UAE and ensure its improvement.

Complementing the panels was GETEX Education Equipment and Technology, a display of the latest technologies that can be used in school and university classrooms.

"The equipment and technology show is a natural match for the participants to see the technologies available to them, and it is effective because they see a vision of what it is and how it can be used," Knezek added.

Enforcing Emiratisation

In an effort to strengthen Emiratisation of the workforce in the UAE, Tanmia, the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority, has signed agreements with more than one local university.

The latest is a Memorandum of Understanding between Tanmia and Al Ghurair University, signed on the opening day of GETEX 2008.

The memorandum stipulates that UAE national students from the Dubai-based university will be offered adequate training and employment opportunities through Tanmia.

The authority will recommend students for employment and training opportunities within the UAE, and will invite them to attend career fairs to better place them in private and public sector jobs in the future.

On its part the university will invite Tanmia on campus to help keep students informed about vacancies and training opportunities.

Vida Nandagopal, head of Career Planning and Placement Services at Al Ghurair University, told Notes that the university will work with the authority in providing information on students using which Tanmia can help place them in suitable jobs.

Ebrahim Mohammad, admissions officer at the university, said that around 85 per cent of Al Ghurair students are UAE nationals. "It is expected that Tanmia will be interested in our student body as most of it is made up of Emiratis.

The partnership will hopefully be for the benefit of the students," he said.

Programmes accredited

The Commission for Academic Accreditation of the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has accredited four master's programmes of the Dubai Aerospace Enterprise University (DAE University).

The university made the announcement on the first day of GETEX 2008 held last week.

DAE University is the education and training arm of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE).

Its recently introduced master's programmes are in addition to the bachelor programmes currently being offered at the university.

The four programmes — MBA in Aerospace Management, MSc in Global Logistics, MSc in Operations and Airline Management and MSc in Air Transport Management — will start this September.

Bill Hampton, director, Marketing and Communications at DAE University, told Notes that the demand for jobs in the aviation and aerospace industry is expected to grow in the Gulf region and India.

The programmes will be available as full-time and part-time options, and professionals as well as students can enroll for them.

MBA in Aerospace Management: It will focus on management aspects of the aerospace industry. Courses taught include marketing, accounting and finance, economics, operations, the legal and regulatory environment and international relations.

MSc in Global Logistics: uses Dubai as a model hub and goes over all the related disciplines that have an impact on the management of logistics. Students study and train to become global logistics managers.

MSc in Operations and Airline Management: It explores the key components of airports and their role in the aviation business. The programme has an economic and legal approach.

It allows students to engage in real issues faced in a modern and complex airport environment and interact with airport executives to get a hands-on experience.

MSc in Air Transport Management: This targets working professionals in the airline and air cargo industries. The students are expected to build their analytical strengths by working on contemporary industry issues.