'Education for employability' roundtable in Dubai

Part of a week-long series of activities with high level roundtable meetings, contact seminars and vocational education events

11 March 2008 (Dubai, UAE): A series of high level contact activities focusing on 'education for employability' is running in the UAE this week, March 9-13, when senior delegations representing groups from the UAE and the UK meet to exchange ideas and experience on vocational education. The week-long series focuses on three main events - two roundtable meetings held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research & Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology; a series of contact events with vocational education and training institutions from the UAE and UK; and a programme of further education events for employers and students in the UAE.

The Dubai 'Education for Employability' roundtable meeting takes place today at the Dubai Men's College. The half-day roundtable events include participation by 25 senior representatives of leading UK organisations and 16 UK Further Education Colleges, led by the Middle East Association in partnership with the Higher Colleges of Technology, with the support of the British Council, the UK's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and UK Trade and Investment. Speakers from the UK include Marie Niven, Head of International Programmes, Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills and Bill Twigg, Technical Director, SEMTA (UK Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies).

Programme of events:

'Education for Employability' roundtables

Sunday 9 March 2008 - Abu Dhabi

Tuesday 11 March 2008 - Dubai

'Education for Careers' exhibitions

Monday 10 March - Dubai Men's College, 4-7pm

Thursday 13 March - Abu Dhabi Men's College, 1-4pm

Further Education Institutions contact events

10-11 March, Dubai

12-13 March, Abu Dhabi

Alison Devine, Deputy Director UAE and Education UK Manager for the Middle East at the British Council, explains the aims of the week-long series of activities: "As the UAE makes rapid progress, the economy is creating new career opportunities and demanding new skills; the development of the vocational education sector is essential to ensure the continued availability of these skills. The aim of this week's activities is to highlight the vital contribution that vocational education makes to meeting the economic development needs of the UAE, by equipping students with 'skills for employability', aligned with international standards and quality assurance."

Experts from the UAE and UK will examine current models of vocational education best practice with a view to creating new models to meet industry standards.

Paul Sellers, Director of the British Council in the UAE, adds: "This week's events will focus on helping to facilitate the exchange of expertise in vocational training and assessment between the UAE and the UK. The representatives will consider how new and specialist areas emerging within the new economy (such as environmental industries) could be supported through the design and delivery of new forms of vocational training. Critically, the process of working together and sharing expertise and experience will help shape new working relationships between the UAE and the UK that will lead to partnerships in vocational education and future collaboration with mutual benefits."

As a part of the week's activities, the British Council, in partnership with the Higher Colleges of Technology, is organising two mini 'Education for Careers' exhibitions to raise awareness of vocational education. 14 Further Education Colleges from the UK and various UAE institutions will meet people potentially interested in taking vocational courses, as well as HR Managers who may be interested in courses for their companies' employees. See www.educationuk.org/me for further details.

In addition, a series of contact events organised by the British Council will see representatives from these 14 UK Further Education institutions discuss possible partnerships with UAE institutions. These partnerships could range from staff/faculty exchange to curriculum cooperation, to any other form of cooperation that would be mutually beneficial.

Michael Thomas, Director General of the Middle East Association, commented: "All delegation members look forward to exchanging experience with their UAE counterparts of meeting the important challenges of education for employability, with a view to better equipping local nationals for employment in the fast growing UAE private sector. I am confident that this visit will facilitate further sustainable partnerships between UK and UAE institutions and training providers."

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The Middle East Association
The Middle East Association (MEA) is the UK's premier organisation for promoting trade and good relations with the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Iran. The MEA is an independent, non-profit making organisation established in 1961. The members of the Association cover all sectors of industry and commerce including banking, finance and consultancy, and are responsible for about 70 percent of all UK investment and trade with the region.

The Middle East Association is a founding partner with the Emirates Foundation and Compass Rose of the Tawteen Learning & Leadership Programme which aims to enhance access to learning and skills development for UAE nationals. It is planning a major education and skills conference in London on 10 July in collaboration with the London Business School which will bring together representatives from the region to share experience of meeting education for employability challenges.

www.the-mea.co.uk

The British Council
The British Council works in 110 countries worldwide to build relationships and understanding between the UK and other countries and to increase appreciation of the UK's ideas and achievements overseas. We do this through work in the arts, education and training, science and technology, sport, good governance and human rights. We are a non-political organisation, registered as a charity in the England and Scotland, which operates at arm's length from government. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org

In the UAE, the British Council has centres in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. We actively engage with the UAE community and the authorities through our work in education, English language teaching, professional development and teacher training programmes, and the administering of academic and professional examinations. We also help connect young people in the UAE with those in the UK via projects covering the Arts, education and science, in cooperation with local and UK organisations.

About Dubai Men's College
Dubai Men's College, one of the 16 colleges of the Higher Colleges of Technology, was established in 1989 to offer high quality education to the Emirate of Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The College offers programs in Business, Information Technology, Communication Technology and Engineering and awards Diploma, Higher Diploma and Bachelors degrees. More than 2000 students have graduated from the college and it currently enrolls approximately 2000 students and employs 250 faculty and staff. The College relocated to its permanent new campus in the Academic City - Al Rauwayya, 4 years ago. In addition to state-of-art technologies, this new campus incorporates first-class sports, educational and recreational facilities. For more information please visit Dubai Men's College website at: dbm.hct.ac.ae/ for the latest news about college life.

Issued on behalf of the British Council by WPR.

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