54 UK institutions participate in Edukex 2005 in the UAE

This year's exhibition will showcase 54 institutions from all over the UK, including 44 universities, as well as schools and colleges, offering a wide range of courses, qualifications and scholarship opportunities. Edukex 2005 will also feature several new ingredients, including a team dedicated to helping exhibition visitors understand more about the vast range of UK qualifications and examinations, and special information sessions to help students prepare for the exhibition, organised by the British Council.

The British Council's Edukex information sessions are designed to help students maximise the benefit of having some of the UK's top institutions in one place, at one time. Each session will guide students looking for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes on how to prepare for the exhibition, covering institution and course selection, the application process and funding options.

British Council Edukex information sessions

November 14, 21: 6pm-7pm - British Council Dubai
November 17: 12-1pm - British Council Dubai
November 17, 21: 6pm- 7pm - British Council Abu Dhabi
November 15: 12-1pm - British Council Abu Dhabi

Edukex 2005

November 27-28: 5pm - 9pm, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Towers
November 29-30: 5pm - 9pm, Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai

Stephanie Evans, UAE Education Promotion Manager for the British Council, explained:

"Edukex 2005 brings together a large number of UK universities, schools and colleges, which offer everything from academic and vocational programmes to summer English language courses and A levels. Our survey of last year's exhibition visitors indicated that the scale of the exhibition can be overwhelming for students and parents, which is why the British Council is running information sessions to help them prepare in advance, so that they can use their time at the exhibition more productively."

Each of the information sessions will comprise a presentation and then focus on helping students to use the exhibition guide, preparing questions to ask the institutions, and advising the students on what o take with them to the exhibition. "Much of this is commonsense and relates to considering the student's priorities, such as the type of course, qualification and institution that the student may want to focus on, the location of the institutions and any extra curricular activities that he or she may be looking for. Effective preparation pays off and means that visitors will be able to find the right people to talk to and obtain the right information, quickly," added Ms. Evans.

Participating instutions at Edukex 2005 include the UK's fifth oldest university (University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495) and the newest (University of Northampton, founded in 1993). Also exhibiting is the University of Hertfordshire, the UK's fastest growing university with 300 courses and 20,000 students, and some of the biggest - including Manchester, Leeds and London Metropolitan University, each of which has more than 30,000 students. The University of East Anglia offers scholarships worth more than half a million pounds and the Ashton Business School is ranked third best in the UK.

"The institutions participating in Edukex 2005 represent the breadth and depth of the educational opportunities available to international students in the UK. They also represent both the strong traditions and the innovation that you find in UK education today - from new universities to long established schools. The common element is the quality of the education on offer, " concluded Ms Evans.