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Need to lure more Emiratis into vocational courses stressed

DUBAI - The challenge of luring more Emiratis into technical education and vocational programmes was addressed at a panel discussion, which explored new ways to empower young students.

With multimillion-dollar industries and projects taking shape in the country, need to create a generation of Emiratis skilled in technical expertise was the topic in focus.

“One of the barriers to vocational education is the perception of these courses. Many people still think vocational education is not at par with regular academic courses and universities. This is not true,” said Dr Naji Al Mahdi, Executive Director, National Institute for Vocational Education (NIVE).

He added, “Every school child should have a career exposure at the fundamental level which helps them understand what career interests them.”

The Institute of Applied Technology (IAT), which offers career-based technical education at the high school and tertiary level, was represented in the panel by managing director Dr Abdullatif M. Al Shamsi. He described the possibilities and challenges of bringing more Emiratis into vocational programmes as he said, “We started as a high-school system where old schools which had students least interested in science and maths were converted to become part of a more focused learning process,” said DrAbdullatif. The 1,000-odd seats at the IAT schools are in good demand, he said. Some 2,000 students sat for the entrance exams for a seat at the institute, emphasising the success of the IAT.

With less than 10 per cent Emiratis making up the total workforce, the vocational educational programmes are essential to bring more nationals into the workforce. A key component of such courses includes sponsorship by employers to mentor students and help them take up a specific career.

Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) hosted the discussion as part of the business breakfast series.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com