Thousands of students in five GEMS schools will have the opportunity to gain experience in different industries - including robotics, space science and sustainability - attend university-level courses, and avail of services designed to enhance their learning experience.
All these have been made possible thanks to the new Centres of Excellence that GEMS Education launched on Monday, October 28.
Among the centres introduced were Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at GEMS Dubai American Academy; Digital Industries and Sustainability at GEMS FirstPoint School-The Villa; Aviation and Space at GEMS International School-Al Khail; Performance and Theatre Technologies at GEMS Wellington Academy-Silicon Oasis; and Entrepreneurship and Youth Start-up at GEMS World Academy-Dubai.
Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, gave the keynote address during the launch event.
"Celebrating the potential of the youth - through partnerships with established organisations - supports the journey to create a better future for all of us," she said.
"It's a really powerful reflection of the Expo theme of 'Connecting Minds and Creating the Future', specifically one of our subthemes, which is opportunity.
"Opportunity for us centers on the powers of unlocking opportunities by believing in the individual and creating meaningful partnerships... Just like the GEMS group, as the director-general of Expo 2020 Dubai, I have taken it as my responsibility to ensure that we present to the school community - specifically to principals and teachers - a platform to inspire the future generation and support them in their mission of broadening students' horizons to topics that matter to humanity."
For the future
Michael Gernon, chief education innovation officer at GEMS Education, explained that the five centres of excellence represent what future-focused education should be about.
"We are aiming to blur the traditional boundaries of school, university and employment, and create a new learning ecology for GEMS students - one which will see them earn a range of credentials and qualifications from our partners from age 14 onwards. Through these unique experiences, they will be better prepared for the world of the future than any other students," Gernon said.
During the launch, several memoranda of understanding were signed between GEMS and its partners to turn ideas into reality.
Some of these companies included Siemens, Al Tamimi and Co, Noon, American University in Dubai (AUD), and RIT Dubai.
Ivor McGettigan, partner at Al Tamimi and Co, said: "We'll give free legal advice to student entrepreneurs who face issues they would commonly encounter. These may include setting up a company, IP protection, and how to protect their brand."
The team of AUD will also be supporting GEMS' schoolkids, according to Dr Imad Y. Hoballah, the university's provost and chief academic officer.
"Students can visit our campus. There are a few areas we are working on together. One of them is AI and robotics, sustainability, blockchain and fintech. We are also exploring other possibilities. We believe this new learning environment is transformational," Dr Hoballah said.
FIVE NEW CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
>Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at GEMS Dubai American Academy
>Digital Industries and Sustainability at GEMS FirstPoint School-The Villa
>Aviation and Space at GEMS International School-Al Khail
>Performance and Theatre Technologies at GEMS Wellington Academy-Silicon Oasis
>Entrepreneurship and Youth Start-up at GEMS World Academy-Dubai
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