Focus on skills for the future

Dubai is growing into a multicultural educational hub attracting universities and students from all over the world. Dubai is growing into a multicultural educational hub attracting universities and students from all over the world.

Students in the UAE see higher education as an investment for the future and expect returns when studying in a foreign land. Universities in the UAE should focus on career fairs, career placement and internship initiatives," says Mohammad Abdullah, Managing Director, Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) and Dubai Knowledge Park, in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times.
 New initiatives at DIAC
DIAC is constantly adapting to change, with a particular interest in research. "Our recent study was on Transnational Student Mobility and Future Employment Trends in 2017 that shows how universities and students must work together to meet industry demands," says Abdullah.
Other initiatives are ongoing with the intention to attract new universities with different offerings. This year there are four new universities - Abu Dhabi University Dubai Campus, UAE University Dubai, Curtin University Dubai Campus and the University of Birmingham Dubai. "We are also expecting some new universities and colleges to join DIAC soon. We have one vocational institution that is UK-based known as UK CBC that conducts vocational courses," adds Abdullah.
Student accommodation is another aspect that is currently being addressed to respond to the demand of a specific segment. "We've signed an agreement with a provider that has started the construction of student accommodation in Dubai International Academic City responding to the demand of this specific segment," explains Abdullah.
Dubai attracts a number of foreign students who prefer to use hostel accommodation as their families are not here. Some of the universities have their own facilities and their own dorm rooms like Amity University Dubai and Heriott Watt University Dubai Campus, Manipal University, BITS Pilani and IMT Dubai.
Advantages of studying in DIAC
DIAC, when combined with Dubai Knowledge Park, formerly known as Dubai Knowledge Village that began operation in 2003, has chalked up 15 years of experience today. "We are the largest higher education free zone in terms of number of students and universities. There are single universities in the US, India or UK that may be having more students, but we have 27 universities with 26,000 students coming from around 150 nationalities. This is a big advantage, the mix of different nationalities, backgrounds and culture giving you a different kind of scope, exposure and experience," says Abdullah.
There is a growing collaboration between universities to facilitate the education of students. "Today, if I am teaching  engineering, and I am in a building that doesn't have its own laboratories, I will go to the universities that have labs and collaborate with them to use their facilities," he explains.
A work-oriented advantage has also been implemented for students from abroad who are on a student visa. "The Dubai Creative Clusters Authority has developed an initiative known as the Earn as you Learn programme, for  students to work on a part time basis. At TECOM Group we have over 13 business parks with different sectors contained within it like media, ICT, science and design. Therefore, we decided that students should be given an exception to work part time," says Abdullah. 
The added advantage of being able to earn an income to support themselves while they gain valuable work experience is another feather in DIAC's cap. "By working with the companies, this experience might lead them to job opportunities after graduation," he adds.
Academic institutions can work with specific organisations in order to facilitate best practice.  "In fact, being together is a good opportunity to share research in terms of how academic institutions work.. 
Accreditation
The recognition of degrees and accreditation is with the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). 
Abdullah  confirms that most of the universities that are here are international branch campuses. For example, University of Birmingham Dubai is accredited and acknowledged internationally. 
"We take very good care in terms of who to accept as universities. We get requests from a number of universities and it goes through a lot of checking to assure the quality of the university," says Abdullah. 
The first step starts with the authorities where talks are held either with the Ministry of Education or KHDA. "Once their curriculum and the quality of education is accepted from these authorities, then our role will follow in terms of offering them the space and facilities needed to be operational," he adds.
Decisions matter
Mohammed offers key advice on how students and parents need to decide about their academic future. He explains that students need to think not only of academic institutions but also think ahead of their time in terms of what will be useful in the future. 
Parents, in general, must have an openness and willingness to accept that their wards may be good in a field of their choice, and even though they are not convinced that it may secure their future, they must be very understanding and accepting. "This is very important. Not everyone can respond to that kind of thinking," Abdullah adds. 
Skills of the future
Visionary and futuristic thinking is an ongoing learning curve that academic institutions strive to excel at and measure their performance. "They have to do their research and have a vision and strategy, based on the trends that are going on with each industry such as engineering, media, law, or business," expresses Abdullah. As President of Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) in D3, Abdullah admits that he is always thinking about the profession or jobs of the future. "For example, who was thinking of wearables 20 years ago? Today by itself, it's a field of study and can create a number of jobs based on this new technology," he adds.
He explains that future jobs may not exist today and acknowledges that it is very important for academic institutions to think out of the box. "It is a challenge for academic institutions because certain degrees may not exist and tomorrow that degree will not be enough to serve certain professions that are to come," says Abdullah.
Quality of teachers
The education authorities within the UAE, now require certifications for teachers. This is another step for improving the quality of teachers within the country. This now starts from K to 12 and then goes on to higher education. "Majority of the university teachers are recruited from the host campuses, while some are hired locally," cites Abdullah. 
Rankings
When it comes to selecting their list of universities, DIAC looks at the international rankings of the home campuses of each DIAC International Branch Campus. It is a way to ensure that they offer a high-quality academic environment.
- suchitra@khaleejtimes.com

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