Dubai: The UK College of Business & Computing (UKCBC) inaugurated its international campus located in the heart of Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) on Thursday.
The campus is the first branch of a UK technical and vocational education and training institution set up in Dubai.
“Technical and vocational training is vital in meeting the growing human resource demands of strategically important business sectors in Dubai, offering a fast and effective solution to develop talent from within the UAE,” said Mohammad Abdullah, managing director of Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) and Dubai Knowledge Park (DKP).
The college currently has six campuses in central and greater London including the English language arm UK College of English (UKCE), and caters to more than 3,000 students. The UK campuses offer courses in Business Management, Computing, Health & Social Care, Travel & Tourism as well as accounting courses.
Spanning around 19,000 square feet, the Dubai campus will initially deliver Pearson BTEC qualifications in business management, computing, travel & tourism, and health and social care eventually expanding to other qualifications that suit the UAE’s higher education and employability needs.
“According to the official portal of the UAE Government, the UAE needs to produce 10 Emiratis with vocational skills for every university graduate produced to achieve a sustainable and diversified knowledge-based economy. Therefore, this is the first step in our broader strategic plan to give true global access to quality education at value for money prices that will appeal to UAE citizens and residents that come from all income groups,” said Bhargav Busa, director of Finance and Operations FCCA.
Employers increasingly prefer to hire graduates who can demonstrate work-ready skills. The BTEC diplomas provide students with industry experience from ground level. Students are required to complete assessments based on real companies or scenarios which helps build skills such as decision making, communication and other interpersonal skills.
“We believe we have the right mix of courses and credibility that will help our students progress in their academic journey. Our courses are carefully designed to suit the needs of all learners,” said Jonathan Sandling, director of Studies at UKCBC.
