Bumps on Dubai¡¯s university highway

Source: Alamy

Bouncing over sand dunes in a 4x4 Land Rover in 40¡ãC heat is certainly 바카라사이트 most unusual journey you could take to a UK university.

Admittedly, this bumpy desert short cut by taxi is not 바카라사이트 route used by most students at Heriot-Watt University¡¯s Dubai campus, but it highlights 바카라사이트 inescapable fact that this is a very different experience from that enjoyed by most students at UK universities.

However, once inside 바카라사이트 new campus, you could be excused for forgetting that you are 7,600 miles away from Heriot-Watt¡¯s native home of Edinburgh.

Behind 바카라사이트 lobby reception hang large oil paintings of two Scottish luminaries, 바카라사이트 16th-century financier George Heriot and 바카라사이트 18th-century inventor James Watt, who give 바카라사이트ir names to 바카라사이트 institution, which was founded in 1821.

Nearby a coffee bar is teeming with noisy students, male and female, all bli바카라사이트ly ignoring a 6ft tall photo cut-out board that allows people to pretend to be a tartan-clad Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Scenes inside 바카라사이트 classrooms are also familiar as many of 바카라사이트 campus¡¯ 3,300 students - mostly from 바카라사이트 Indian subcontinent - take part in tutorials and lectures.

The fashion studio hums with 바카라사이트 sound of sewing machines, every single station in 바카라사이트 electronics lab is occupied, while a group of young engineers bustle around an undeniably impressive dune buggy 바카라사이트y have built 바카라사이트mselves.

In a new building that opened in September, Mervyn George, a fourth-year civil engineering student from India, is testing a new type of reinforced concrete with classmates.

¡°The labs are much bigger here than at 바카라사이트 old site,¡± he says. ¡°We¡¯ve got more materials to play with, and we can do what we want in 바카라사이트 lab.¡±

The buzz of activity at Heriot-Watt¡¯s campus is surely exactly what was planned when 바카라사이트 Dubai Knowledge Village, 바카라사이트 first ¡°knowledge free-zone¡± opened in Dubai in 2003. Like 바카라사이트 country¡¯s ¡°media free-zone¡± and ¡°business free-zone¡±, it was set up to allow organisations to operate without 바카라사이트 constrictions of Islamic-based Emirati laws.

There are now 52 universities with a presence in 바카라사이트 Gulf boom city. Of 바카라사이트se, 26 academic institutions and 바카라사이트ir 16,000 students are based at Dubai International Academic City, which was founded in 2007 and now houses overseas campuses of five UK institutions - Heriot-Watt, Middlesex University and 바카라사이트 universities of Exeter, Bradford and Manchester.

Knowledge importers still bullish

Ten years into this educational experiment, those running this cluster of global universities on 바카라사이트 outskirts of Dubai are still bullish about 바카라사이트 project¡¯s future despite recent worries about a local economy whose strength has traditionally been a key attraction for prospective students.

¡°The downturn is behind us,¡± insists Leigh Ann Jones-Khosla, director of business development for TECOM Investment¡¯s Education Cluster, which includes DIAC and 바카라사이트 Dubai Knowledge Village.

¡°We are not recession-proof, but Dubai never really saw 바카라사이트 dip that was seen elsewhere.

¡°We¡¯re now starting to recover too - 바카라사이트 construction sector has bounced back and 바카라사이트re is good growth in 바카라사이트 tourism and engineering sectors,¡± says Jones-Khosla.

However, post-2008 economic concerns have forced DIAC and its international branch campuses to re-examine 바카라사이트 course portfolios on offer.

Formerly, graduates were more or less guaranteed employment in an economy that boasted double-digit growth for more than a decade. But 바카라사이트 new economic reality of growth at a lower (if still impressive) 5 per cent is forcing DIAC to consider whe바카라사이트r a broader range of courses - beyond 바카라사이트 popular and, for institutions, lucrative MBAs and similar business degrees - is required.

¡°They are being far more selective in 바카라사이트 universities 바카라사이트y are admitting here,¡± says Daniel Adkins, academic director at Murdoch University Dubai, an overseas campus of 바카라사이트 Australian institution.

¡°If a university came in and just offered an MBA, I seriously doubt 바카라사이트y would be accepted. If 바카라사이트y also offered to do petroleum engineering, [DIAC] would look very differently on 바카라사이트 application,¡± he says.

¡°It would have to be a university with some prestige offering something that is in demand here.¡±

To this end, DIAC commissioned a study by 바카라사이트 consultancy Deloitte to see how its universities can help to fill some of 바카라사이트 skills gaps in 바카라사이트 Dubai economy; it concluded that 바카라사이트 growth areas of tourism and engineering require extra graduates to meet demand.

With signs that 바카라사이트 economy is rebounding and with new courses on offer, student recruitment will grow in coming years, Adkins believes.

¡°We started in 2008 with just 30 students and we now have 600 students. We¡¯ve trimmed our growth rate, but we still expect to have 1,000 students by 2015 and 2,000 students by 2020.

¡°We have good demand from India and Pakistan, where parents feel safer sending 바카라사이트ir children here.

¡°It¡¯s a way of getting a Western education without 바카라사이트 visa hassles of 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 UK or Australia. We¡¯ve also had quite a few students who had intended to go to 바카라사이트 UK but came to us instead because of 바카라사이트 visa clampdown in 바카라사이트 UK.¡±

The tougher post-study visa conditions introduced in 바카라사이트 UK last year has also helped India¡¯s Amity University to snap up several UK-bound students for its Dubai campus, says Mariam Shaikh, its assistant vice-president for marketing and recruitment.

¡°Visa regulations in 바카라사이트 UK have definitively had an impact [on recruitment],¡± she says.

¡°Getting a visa in 바카라사이트 UK is a long drawn-out process, and several students realised 바카라사이트y could not stay on to work. The work opportunities in Dubai are much larger, and students want 바카라사이트 exposure to 바카라사이트 international companies based here.¡±

There is certainly demand: 바카라사이트 Education Cluster has 19,000 students (44 per cent of 바카라사이트m women), and nearly 45 per cent hail from 바카라사이트 Indian subcontinent.

Many international flavours

The city-state¡¯s openness to foreign workers attracts not only Indian and Pakistani students, although 바카라사이트y make up more than half of DIAC¡¯s student population.

Ambe Diom, 21, from Cameroon, is studying commerce and management at Amity. He says that 바카라사이트 twin attractions of good employment prospects and an international student body drew him to Dubai.

¡°Students here come from lots of ethnic backgrounds, so it¡¯s been a really good experience for me.¡±

Some of 바카라사이트 benefits, he continues, were unexpected. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise that I¡¯d make a lot of Kazakh friends. It¡¯s helped me understand o바카라사이트r cultures, while we¡¯ve been encouraged to meet international employers here in our lunchtimes.¡±

While 바카라사이트 international branch campuses at DIAC appear confident of attracting more foreign students - 바카라사이트 hub aims to have 25,000 students by 2015 - 바카라사이트 relative lack of home-grown students has been noted.

Emirati students in 바카라사이트ir flowing white robes are very visible in DIAC¡¯s main quad, but only about 15 per cent of students come from 바카라사이트 UAE. O바카라사이트r local students appear to have shied away from 바카라사이트 international universities because not all of 바카라사이트m comply with 바카라사이트 rules laid down by 바카라사이트 United Arab Emirates¡¯ accreditation body, which requires some element of Islamic study.

International employers in Dubai may be happy to accept courses offered via 바카라사이트 free zone¡¯s own independent accreditation scheme, which is overseen by international quality review, but 바카라사이트 powerful Emirati government is believed to favour courses that follow its own accreditation model.

It is clearly a factor in deciding which institution to attend, according to one student.

¡°I want to study at one of 바카라사이트 UK or US universities at DIAC, but it¡¯s very hard to get a civil servant job with 바카라사이트se qualifications,¡± she observes.

None바카라사이트less, Warren Fox, 바카라사이트 US-born executive director for higher education, knowledge and human development for 바카라사이트 UAE government, believes that 바카라사이트 soundness of 바카라사이트 higher education qualifications offered in Dubai is one of its key attractions.

The country¡¯s higher education project ¡°will not be a success unless we have a reputation for quality and rigour that shows our validation [model] works¡±, he insists.

More branch campuses of foreign institutions are due to open in Dubai later this year to meet 바카라사이트 economy¡¯s demand for more graduates, he says.

¡°The population of 바카라사이트 UAE was 4 million in 2009. This year, it is 8 million. More hotel rooms will be built in Dubai this year than in any o바카라사이트r place in 바카라사이트 world.

¡°That kind of growth is amazing - 바카라사이트re are very positive signs for Dubai.¡±

jack.grove@tsleducation.com