27,000 students at the Higher Colleges of Technology begin the new academic year

Yesterday, 27,000 male and female students began their new academic year at the Higher Colleges of Technology in various programs and specializations at the bachelor’s and diploma levels, including 5,500 new male and female students.

The colleges have attracted more than 111 academic staff members from international educational institutions who have teaching and professional experience, which enhances their performance in teaching applied sciences and transferring their skills to students.

The Minister of Sports and President of the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, stressed that developing human resources is a shared responsibility, as the integration of work between educational institutions and business and industrial institutions is the basis for achieving this, praising the cooperation of strategic partners with the Higher Colleges of Technology in developing programs and providing vocational training and employment opportunities for students and graduates.

“Students are the future, and empowering them with knowledge and skills is a priority. Their keenness to study applied sciences reflects their awareness of its importance in enhancing their readiness for the labor market, as their studies enable them to enjoy practical and application skills, and thus the ability to produce ideas and solutions and contribute to development,” he said. He added that “the Colleges of Technology seek to prepare and provide students with qualitative competencies capable of creativity and competitiveness,” calling on them to invest in all available opportunities to develop themselves and enhance their scientific and applied excellence.

He appreciated the efforts of the administrative and academic leaderships in the Colleges of Technology, and the efforts they exert in achieving their lofty mission in preparing and empowering the generations of tomorrow, and their keenness on the continuous development of the educational system in a way that confirms the status of the colleges as the largest institution for applied higher education, in light of the qualitative programs and specializations it offers, and the educational options it provides, which simulate the capabilities and inclinations of students and meet their aspirations, in line with the national trends in preparing and qualifying competencies for the future, appreciating the colleges’ efforts to move towards a new stage during which it enhances “Emirati excellence.”

In turn, the Director of the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dr. Faisal Al Ayyan, confirmed that the colleges have a clear vision for the next stage, and a high level of readiness to move towards enhancing their pioneering role in applied higher education, to contribute to building and preparing qualitative competencies that confirm Emirati excellence, through providing applied education with international standards and closely linked to the labor market. Today, the colleges offer 28 programs at the applied bachelor’s level, and 18 programs at the professional diploma level, including new programs and others that have been developed according to the needs and changes in the job reality in various vital sectors.

He pointed out the ongoing efforts to develop scientific laboratories in colleges, where more than 150 scientific laboratories have been updated and created according to the highest international standards, to meet the requirements of applied study in the various specializations offered, and to simulate advanced skills and job reality. We have different types of laboratories, including laboratories for experiments and simulations and others for practical practices in line with the nature of the specializations.

Al-Ayan said that the educational system in colleges today enhances the student’s presence in the labor market during his academic years, through the application of the “vocational apprenticeship” model. According to this model, a bachelor’s student will spend 16 weeks in vocational training in one of the work and industrial institutions, according to his specialization, and full-time in this training institution, while a diploma student will spend three semesters in vocational training, which has become offered in an integrated and integrated manner with his studies, as he spends this period working between the college and the training institution, which enhances his professional and job readiness.