Sharjah Institute Of Technology, Cambridge International School And Edexcel In Three-Way Partnership

Edexcel, Sharjah Institute of Technology (SIT) and Cambridge International School (CIS) announced today their three-way partnership to enhance vocational education in the UAE.

At the event, Mark Andrews, Regional Director, Middle East/North Africa/Caribbean, Edexcel said that fresh university graduates continue to be less valuable to employers in the UAE than their counterparts who would have completed vocational education.

Through this partnership, CIS is offering BTEC Engineering Programmes at SIT centre. Edexcel’s exclusive BTEC qualifications provide a practical, real-world approach to learning alongside a theoretical background. They are designed both to replicate the professional working environment and provide learners with the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to succeed in the current job market.

Reham Mustafa, External Relations & Strategic Alliances Manager, SIT commented: “Parents in the UAE are usually hesitant to choose vocational education and every year the number of unskilled university graduates increases. We at SIT aim at raising public awareness of the advantages of vocational education, and even though the road seems long, there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.”

Andrews added: “Vocational education is a worthwhile alternative for individuals who are more inclined to learn through practical instruction either at high school or university, those who cannot afford a university education, those who wish to join the workforce sooner, older individuals who are aiming for a career change or wish to update their skills, people who are not interested in pursuing an academic education and employees interested in continuing professional development.”

Currently the vocational educational sector in the UAE is open to endless opportunities. One of the most significant prospects is the changing perception of vocational education in the country. Even though this route is not yet fully understood within the local society it progressively becoming a worthwhile alternative.

Mustafa added: “We are slowly transforming social understanding of technical education, and we are confident that in the near future this route will become a desirable choice rather than just a choice. Vocational or technical education in the UAE can transform future generations into well-prepared youth who could deal with the changes and requirements of the labour market and participate in the development plans of the nation. Society as a whole is recognising the role of qualified technical talent as the basis to building a sustainable workforce. This is why I believe the impact of vocational training in the UAE is tremendous.”

Sandra A.J. Carter, Head of Senior School, Cambridge International School said: “We are at the forefront of vocational education in Dubai being the first school to offer BTEC qualifications in the UAE. Although we are successfully delivering a number of BTECs within the school, we realised there was a need to offer our students the type of subjects that we did not have the resources to deliver. We have started this year by working in partnership with Sharjah Institute of Technology to offer BTEC Electrical Engineering to our Year 9 students.”

During the past academic year SIT introduced the concept of Vocational tasters in middle schools across Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman where students would visit SIT on a weekly basis to experience all fields of engineering. One of these schools was Cambridge International School that joined the SIT Tasters program with 29 students. The first group of 8 students joined the Electronics Engineering Taster and the second group of 11 Students joined the Mechanical Engineering Taster. The last group joined the Civil Engineering Taster.

Carter added: “SIT has been really enthused by this opportunity and we have every confidence that it will help to motivate our students in their entire education. This addition to the already broad curriculum allows students to mix and match qualifications to find a pathway that is wholly relevant to them.”

SIT tasters for Cambridge International School resulted in a much bigger outcome than expected.

According to SIT, vocational education should be viewed in the Arab world as it is in Europe: as a viable alternative to traditional academic education. Through its use of practical, experiential learning techniques, vocational educational helps people acquire essential employability skills which academic education, that is theoretical in nature, does not. Moreover, because vocational qualifications are created specifically to meet employer and industry requirements, graduates obtain the practical skills and knowledge employers require.

Working together, SIT and Edexcel are eager to support the partnership between the government, education and industry which will consequently strengthen national reforms in education and technical training in the region.
 

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