LOCALLY-BASED EDUCATION PROVIDERS IN ABU DHABI
Local higher education providers discuss Abu Dhabi's research environment and the importance of knowledge sharing.
Our academic programs have grown from seven to 38, some of which are at the Bachelor’s level, some at the Master’s level, and one at the Doctoral level. When we started in 2003, the university had merely 900 students. Today, the number is close to 5,200, and is growing rapidly, both in terms of student body and quality. Our strategy for the faculty has been to attract international talent with expertise that is recognized worldwide. In 2010, the university won the prestigious Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA), marking the very first time it was awarded to a university. We have over 40 local and international partners that enrich our academic mission and support our strategic goals. Locally, we partner with public and private organizations, such as Abu Dhabi Environmental Agency, Tawazun, Etihad, and ADDED. Internationally, we partner with institutions such as University of Illinois, Purdue University, Tulane University, Norwegian Air Research Institute, Singapore National University, and Seoul National University.
Our precursor, Etisalat, was mostly geared toward telecommunications and training undergraduates for the future. What we have today, and we are currently planning a significant expansion, is a broad-based engineering college that covers all fields: biomedical, electrical, computers, aerospace, nuclear, and telecommunications. We now also have PhD programs in all of these fields. Etisalat continues to contribute significantly to the Khalifa University Sharjah Campus, especially in telecommunications and electrical and computer engineering. Khalifa University was created by a decree to become the UAE’s principal research university in engineering and biomedical sciences, as well as moving into natural and physical sciences. We enjoy a strong relationship with Georgia Tech, Texas A&M University, Bristol, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
We were the first college in Abu Dhabi to offer a Diploma in Computer Science back in 1985. We were also the first private college in the country to earn accreditation for our associate degree programs from the Ministry of Education. We have been offering Bachelor’s degrees in business administration, management, HR, marketing, finance, and IT since 2010. Our vision today is to emphasize applied learning and applied scientific research. We are a practical college, and we need to build our graduates to be able to join the industrial field. Our image in the market is that we are your practical choice. The government supports public education, and it tries to do its best with the universities. In the private sector, there are some difficulties according to financial issues, but the Ministry does not differentiate between private/public in applying standards. It is now concentrating on research, and it wants to bring more expertise from outside to the UAE to build a knowledge-based economy in Abu Dhabi.
We work very closely to provide the maximum benefit to the country as far as our programs are concerned from an educational standpoint. We are very proud of what we are doing here at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT). It is unique in its standing that it also has a very independent Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT). Our aim is to make sure the university has a think tank, commercial arm, and research bank functioning side by side. For the 2013/2014 academic year, we welcomed over 6,000 new students, an increase of about 35%, which indicates that we are providing Emirati students with the right options. Our graduates are highly sought after, largely because of our learning style. There is room for more universities to come to Abu Dhabi – particularly in specific specializations that are much needed in the economy. People are coming to study in the UAE from countries such as India, on the strength of our universities.
The beauty of working in this part of the world is that you feel directly connected to a strategic vision. Everyone in Abu Dhabi is on a mission; they want to achieve something. In 2012, we revisited the vision of the College and decided to benchmark it nationally, regionally, and also in the UAE, as well as link it to the national Vision itself. We want to become one of the leading private universities in the UAE. My academic approach acknowledges that real learning is something that you can put into action. Our strategy is service differentiation. We have around 70% UAE nationals and 30% expatriates. Out of the 70%, I would say that about 60% are male students and 40% female. On top of this, we organize an international conference, the Organization Learning Conference, for the MENA region, where we host guest speakers from over 20 countries. This reach establishes a platform for the market, clients, and the broader community.
The federal system of higher education in the UAE consists of two universities: the UAEU in Al Ain and ZU (campuses in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai) as well as the HCTs, a group of 20 colleges that focus on technical education and are located across the UAE. The Higher Education Coordination Council, composed of the two Chancellors and the President of the three institutions, coordinate on the setting of admissions policy and entrance standards of each institution, oversight for new programs of study, and joint educational projects, such as the implementation of mobile learning devices. For the Abu Dhabi economy to be internationally competitive, it must have a strong local innovation system with research centers in universities and business incubators linked to universities. ZU is the only government university in the MENA region that is internationally accredited, giving its graduates both an advantage and a responsibility to take their place in the workforce and contribute to the ongoing economic and social development of the country.
LOCALLY-BASED EDUCATION PROVIDERS IN ABU DHABI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Profile: HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Wisdom in Leadership
HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan became President of the UAE in 2004, and has worked to guide the country on the same principles that brought it together under his father, HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in 1971.
read articleGuest Speaker
Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore
TBY talks to Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry & the Ministry of National Development of Singapore, on cooperation between the two states.
read articleInterview
HE Nasser Ahmed Khalifa Alsowaidi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development
TBY talks to HE Nasser Ahmed Khalifa Alsowaidi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), on five-year plans, trade with the EU, and Abu Dhabi's role as a global business hub.
read articleInterview
HE Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, Director General , Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED)
TBY talks to HE Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, Director General of Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED), on the Emirate's status as a business hub, encouraging cooperation between the state and private sectors, and the role of the non-oil economy.
read articleInterview
Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director & Member of the Board of Directors, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
TBY talks to Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director & Member of the Board of Directors of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), on the Emirate as a hub for global business travel and exhibitions.
read articleInterview
Mohamed Ebrahim Al Hosani, Director of Regional Development, Western Region Development Council (WRDC)
TBY talks to Mohamed Ebrahim Al Hosani, Director of Regional Development of the Western Region Development Council (WRDC), on the Al Gharbia region's fast-track development path.
read articleInterview
HE Abdulla Nasser Al Suwaidi, Director General, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)
TBY talks to HE Abdulla Nasser Al Suwaidi, Director General of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), on the country's Vision 2021, operations in the Far East, and enhanced oil recovery methods.
read articleInterview
HE Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrooei, President & CEO, Emirates Aluminium (EMAL)
TBY talks to HE Saeed Fadhel Al Mazrooei, President & CEO of Emirates Aluminium (EMAL), on the aims of the joint venture, the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, and forecasts for the aluminum sector in the Middle East.
read articleInterview
HE Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)
TBY talks to HE Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), on the UAE as an ICT hub, promoting healthy competition in the sector, and the expected effects of mobile number portability.
read articleInterview
HE Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori, Director General, Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC)
TBY talks to HE Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori, Director General of Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC), on e-government, inter-Emirate cooperation, and promoting Emiratization.
read articleInterview
Tony Douglas, CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC)
TBY talks to Tony Douglas, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), on the air transport dynamic between Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE, the development of Al Ain International Airport, and the airlines that are carrying the country forward.
read articleInterview
John Borghetti, CEO & Managing Director, Virgin Australia Group of Airlines
TBY talks to John Borghetti, CEO & Managing Director of Virgin Australia Group of Airlines, on the Virgin global network, its partnership with Etihad, and increased terminal capacity over the coming years.
read articleInterview
Kurt Newman, President & CEO, Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC)
TBY talks to Kurt Newman, President & CEO of the Children's National Medical Center (CNMC), on innovative pediatric therapy, improving technology, and the importance of R&D for Abu Dhabi's healthcare sector.
read articleInterview
HE Dr. Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi, Director General, Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
TBY talks to HE Dr. Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi, Director General of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), on improving educational methods, sustainable access to food and water, and opportunities in the energy sector.
read article
