Dubai Women's College students build links to software industry with founding of .NET Club

The .NET club, sponsored by Microsoft, creates a community that helps students to build bridges with the IT industry and to develop their own interest in technology and software development.

Microsoft .NET clubs have been established in universities and colleges around the globe, although the DWC .NET club is the first in the UAE. The club will be run by a committee, made up of DWC students the IT Program, with guidance from an advisory board of professors.

As members of the .NET club, the students will be able to access the Microsoft Developers Network Academic Alliance, which gives them free access to the latest development tools, operating systems, server software, documentation, and technical references. The students will join a regional and international community of .NET clubs that exchange experience and knowledge online, and will also be able to leverage Microsoft's support for working on .NET related projects and arranging and participating in industry events.

"The establishment of this .NET club enables our students to take the initiative to connect with the IT industry and to gain experience from it, to collaborate with their peers on IT projects, and to develop their knowledge and expertise of software to enhance their career prospects," said Dr. Howard Reed, Director, DWC.

The club will also offer special benefits to members including participation in summer training and internships with Microsoft and its partners, invitations and sponsorship to attend Microsoft developer events, both in the Middle East and worldwide, and entrance to the Microsoft Imagine Cup competition for young software developers. Microsoft will also support the university with visits to Microsoft offices, and through providing guest speakers from Microsoft and the wider IT industry for university seminars and events.

"We are very pleased to be able to announce the formation of the first .NET club in the UAE with Dubai Women's College," said Vimal Sethi, Developer & Platform Group Manager, Microsoft Gulf. "The .NET club program is intended to close the gap between academia and the IT industry, by giving students the means to build links with the industry and to gain real experience of how the industry works. By empowering the students to run the club themselves, for their benefit, it also creates a community among the students to enable them to develop their own interest in technology, and to develop as people as well."