Colleges seek British Council support for UAE/UK partnerships that promote skills for employability

The partnerships would see the UAE and UK colleges share expertise and ideas to take forward new approaches to skills training that would help better prepare young Emiratis for the world of work.

As a global programme Skills for Employability works to address the challenges of globalization and the demand for skills in a global economy - through facilitating college partnerships, working with policymakers, providing access to UK skills and training expertise and creating opportunities to promote innovation.

In the Middle East the Programme supports Governments' efforts to improve the quality of vocational education through strengthening national reform programmes in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). It also encourages closer links between education and industry by widening access to the latest thinking and best practice internationally. By 2011 the goal is for 16 successful and sustainable partnerships to have been established with British Council support between UK colleges and colleges in the Middle East countries of the GCC, Yemen and Iraq.

Representatives from five UK colleges - Coleg Gwent, Pembrokeshire, South Tyneside, Doncaster and Tameside - visited the UAE in June as a first step in the journey to apply for a formal partnership under the British Council's Skills for Employability vocational and education training programme. Successful applications receive a British Council grant to take forward their partnership projects.

During three visits to the UAE the UK delegates met Heads of Department from both colleges and Malcolm Pickering, Director of Sharjah Institute of Technology. They had the opportunity to tour the colleges, discuss course material, quality assurance and benchmarking and explore potential for partnership projects. The visit also provided an opportunity for the potential partners to gain an understanding of the important of TVET reform agendas in each other's countries.

Sherry Farzami, British Council Project Manager- Education in the UAE said:

"Equipping young people with the skills they need to be able to compete successfully in today's global employment market is critical.

'Our Skills for Employability Programme aims to assist the creation of stronger links and collaborations between UK and local institutions, by helping Governments to address long-term challenges in skills development. This means that national educational and training systems are better able to respond to the labour market and learners' needs.

'We are delighted that these colleges have applied to take forward partnership projects. The recent visit by the UK colleges demonstrates the British Council's commitment to supporting UAE institutions in developing sustainable, successful relationships and to providing continuing support for the UAE's aspirations in education."

An announcement about which successful college partnerships will be awarded a British Council grant to support their particular projects is expected to be made in September 2009.