Women meeting market needs

Dubai: Women's College (DWC) is set to launch its latest bachelor's programmes in September, which are designed to bridge a gap in the market among the Emirati workforce.

The institution will begin running two unique programmes in Tourism and Event Management and Corporate Communications.

"DWC is always trying to start new programmes as we see the need in the community. Education is one of those things that is always changing," said Dr Howard Reed, Director of DWC. "Content gets stale and new industries come on board, so it is critical you keep your programmes fresh and relevant. It's a process that any good educational institute should be doing all the time," he said.

Tourism and Event Management

The new Tourism and Event Management programme is an evolution of a previous programme called Travel and Tourism said Dr Monica Gallant, Chair of DWC's Business Department. "We've done some analysis of the marketplace and found there is a real need for event planning in Dubai particularly and the UAE as a whole."

Last year DWC gained information from employers and surveyed students about their potential interests in this field. "We got a lot of positive feedback from everyone. So we've developed a curriculum based on the best practices in the world." With 19 students already signed up for the course due to start later this year, the programme is open only to Emirati females from any of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) campuses. However, "if we have space we would consider taking on men," said Gallant

She said these graduates have a greater potential to move into management positions. She said some of the jobs open to graduates of this programme are positions at the Dubai World Trade Centre, helping to organise conferences and exhibitions and wedding planning; as well as work in the tourism sector with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). "They [DTCM] have a great demand for Emirati employees who are well versed in this field and can take on public relations roles in their department to help promote the country and the city." Gallant went on to say that "[Given] the current economic situation, there is more of a need to market Dubai and encourage tourism."

Corporate Communications

Speaking of the Corporate Communications programme, Dr Hanan Hairab, Chair of the Department of Applied Communications, said the initiative to launch the new programme resulted from industry needs. "You don't find many nationals working in the industry of corporate communications. So there is a big demand," said Hairab.

She said most people do not understand the terms "corporate communications" or "public relations" and in order for candidates of the programme to excel they must have equally strong English and Arabic language skills upon which they will be assessed. The discipline equips students with the qualifications to improve the image of a company. "I don't think there is any company now in Dubai or the whole world without a corporate communications [department]," she said.

DWC plans to begin the programme in September with 12 of its own students and eight applications from external applicants. The Higher Diploma Bachelor's degree allows students to exit the specialisation programme in year three or continue to the final year and receive the full degree. "It's like a Bachelor's top up," said Hairab.

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