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Jan. 07, 2008
UW awards first certificates to students in Abu Dhabi
The first students to complete University of Washington (UW) certificate programs in Abu Dhabi were honored at a graduation ceremony of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Academy in December. The event was presided over by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Education Council.
In attendance were some of most powerful political figures and corporate executives in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, signaling the importance of the Academy's efforts in professional re-training of Emirati citizens. Clark Westmoreland, Director of Operations, UW Educational Outreach (UWEO), traveled from the UW's Seattle, Washington campus to attend. This partnership with the UAE Academy marks the first time the UW has established a base abroad to teach foreign nationals in their home country.
Abu Dhabi's need for US style professional development training
UW's unique role in Abu Dhabi
UWEO credential valued by local employers
UW provides global content, local relevance
Teaching in the UAE environment
Benefit to the UW community and beyond
Future of UW in Abu Dhabi
About the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Academy
About University of Washington Educational Outreach (UWEO)
Abu Dhabi's need for US style professional training
In a country of 3.5 million where 80 percent of the population is non-Emirati, Emiratization is a movement by the UAE government to proactively employ its citizens in the public and private sectors to reduce its dependence on foreign workers. One strategy is to increase the qualified pool of Emirati job seekers by offering post-graduate training that bridges the gap between university education and practical application in the corporate arena.
Founded by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, the UAE Academy is at the forefront of the country's efforts in human resource development-with a unique role played by UW Educational Outreach (UWEO), the UW division for continuing and professional education.
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UW's unique role in Abu Dhabi
Rather than establishing itself among the several universities already providing bachelor's degrees in the UAE, UW Educational Outreach provides professional certificate programs in the IBDAA program for young job seekers. In a country where summer internships do not exist, these students are university graduates needing training focused on practical business application. More than 80 percent are women; although women in Abu Dhabi far outpace men in obtaining degrees, social factors prevent most from traveling abroad, and they do not have access to some of the Western-style and graduate-level programs their male counterparts enjoy.
UW Educational Outreach launched its first certificate program in February 2007, starting with Business English Communications-Marketing. Certificates in Business English Communications-Travel & Tourism, Business for International Professionals, and Human Resources followed throughout the year. UW Educational Outreach is considering the launch of other certificate programs in the near future.
UWEO credential valued by local employers
UW Educational Outreach certificate programs are so successful at preparing students for employment that up to 50 percent of those enrolled are hired even before completion. The UW reputation plays a large role; the UW is consistently ranked in the top 20 universities worldwide. Partnering with a number of academic institutions from the US, UK, Australia and Singapore, the UAE Academy considers UW Educational Outreach its top partner in status and importance.
"Our role is developing and training the work force with the highest-quality education," said Dr. Magdi Hafiz, chief executive of the Academy. "We want to provide them with the best, and this is why we thought the UW Educational Outreach programs would be much appreciated by the business community. The University of Washington has a very excellent reputation." Existing UAE ties with Boeing and Microsoft also made an educational partnership with Seattle a natural choice, said Hafiz.
Marisa Nickle, UW Educational Outreach program manager based in Abu Dhabi, concurred. "UW Educational Outreach is valued as a high-profile, core partner by the Academy, and the partnership is regularly emphasized at public events," she said. "The UW is represented in all formal meetings with important visitors, and our classes and students are showcased during site tours."
UW provides global content, local relevance
Content and quality of UW certificate programs are the same in Abu Dhabi as they are in the U.S. Programs presented in the UAE are taught either by UW faculty or by instructors trained and approved by the UW. High standards are assured by Nickle's presence on the ground. Even more to the point of preparing college graduates to meet the challenges of the corporate world, certificate programs administered by UW Educational Outreach are project-based and practical.
They offer "global content, local relevance." For example, students in the HR program use local case studies to apply HR theory to authentic situations that arise in multicultural workplaces guided by UAE policy. For their final project, students in the Business English-Travel and Tourism program conduct walking tours of local attractions and create brochures. They come away with deliverables to show prospective employers.
The success of these programs is particularly evident for students like Abdulla, whose beard and short robe identifies him as a religious conservative. Because firms in the public and private sectors don't want conservatism as their public face, religious conservatives often have difficulty finding employment. Yet after completing the UW certificate program in Business Communication, Abdullah quickly found the IT position he trained for at university.
"It is as though the course redefined the meaning of Customer Service to me and stressed its importance," said Abdullah. "This is not to say that the main objective of the course was not accomplished. Business Communication was a core skill I obtained from the course. Especially, [I learned that] that effective Business Communication is required in a company as big as ADMAOPCO. Thank you for your efforts in making it a successful course and for choosing such a learned and effective instructor to teach it."
Teaching in the UAE environment
Although course content and standards are the same as in the U.S., the UW engages with local needs and realities. "We're dealing with a very different environment and a different kind of economy," said Nickle. "For instance, we won't offer a certificate in banking-banking [an interest-charging activity] is non-Islamic." Courses emphasize critical thinking and teamwork, concepts Nickle says that are not traditionally emphasized in education in the UAE but are highly valued skills in the corporate world. In a country where many students have never before held a paying job-perhaps with few or no role models in the family, especially for the women-the UW Educational Outreach programs fulfill another basic need.
"Our programs socialize them to become productive and professional," says Nickle. "They help them to realign their expectations-like the concept of getting their foot in the door." Students are graded on the concept of professionalism itself. "Act like this is your job," they are told; "If you're late, call your boss (the instructor)."
The UW Educational Outreach certificate programs also provide much-needed opportunities for Emirati women, who by tradition do not travel and so forgo some training opportunities accessible to men. As one of the first government funded co-education programs exclusively for Emiratis, "we're getting these women and men ready for a co-ed workplace," says Nickle. "It's fun to watch them interact. They're not quite sure how to behave at first."
Benefit to the UW community and beyond
"The UW hopes that such international ties will ultimately benefit students here by sparking new exchange programs and cross-cultural exposure," said Dave Szatmary, Vice Provost, UW Educational Outreach. "Washington's economy is dependent on trade and international business. To be successful in the global economy, our graduates need to understand how to operate in a global world." Nickle agrees.
"These programs bring us closer to humanizing the politics," she says. "People walk in with preconceived notions… We have two veiled women with gloves and two men with beards and short robes in our programs-all signs of religious conservatism. But these four participate well, one is the class clown and another a valedictorian type, and all are professional, engaged and interact with both genders. It's a real stereotype buster." The benefits extend to both countries: the UW's presence in Abu Dhabi provides UAE contact with Americans and American standards in business and education in a positive context.
UWEO hopes that this partnership will grow with the Academy in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and possibly Gulf-wide. Already, UW programs have begun in a satellite location in the city of Al Ain. UW programs are now also being offered commercially to community, government, and corporate organizations. According to Nickle and Szatmary, this first UW foray overseas may serve as a launching pad for growth in the region and as a template for future UW partnerships in other regions of the world.
About the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Academy
The UAE Academy began as the training arm of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce. It has since grown with the help of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs to be a dynamic force at the forefront of human resource development and Emiratization of the UAE labor force. The UAE Academy provides skills and training for both the government and private sectors.
The accredited international certificates in professional development offered at the UAE Academy are designed to meet the needs of the local community partners while maintaining high standards of excellence. For more information, please see UAE Academy and UW UAE Academy.
About University of Washington Educational Outreach (UWEO)
UWEO is the continuing and professional education division of the University of Washington, the nationally recognized public research institution based in Seattle. Helping the schools, colleges and departments to administer evening master's degrees, certificate programs, distance and online learning, international outreach, English language programs and more, UWEO is one of the largest and most highly regarded continuing and professional education programs in the U.S. (more information at the UWEO Web site.)