Leading higher education and skills development institutions at Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai International Academic City are set to welcome thousands of learners from around the world as the 2024-25 academic year commences in the UAE with a wide range of future-focused programmes introduced to help today’s talent meet the needs of tomorrow.
Aiming to unite academic learning with evolving job market demands as the potential of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) permeates across the economy, the new programmes at Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai International Academic City offer future-ready skills in transformative and emerging sectors such as green energy, financial technology, and sports performance.
“As we stand at the precipice of a new era defined by complexity and rapid transformation, education is the pillar upon which we must build our future,” said Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Senior Vice President of Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai International Academic City, at TECOM Group PJSC.
“We must empower our youth not just with knowledge, but with the tools to become architects of solutions. Our districts are proud to be the home of educational partners empowering our city’s talent pool with the future readiness, critical thinking, and collaborative innovation needed to achieve the goals of Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’.”
This commitment is evident in the new programmes being introduced in the 2024-25 academic year at the districts, which together comprise TECOM Group’s Education Cluster. As global decision-makers recognise the role of education in nurturing climate resilience, the University of Wollongong Dubai, based at Dubai Knowledge Park, will offer a new curriculum of short executive courses in sustainable green hydrogen technology to support the global transition to a sustainable future.
Expanding its offering to equip professionals with future-ready skillsets, the university has also launched the Blockchain Innovation and Analytics Lab to research blockchain technologies, explore industry synergies, and establish collaborative partnerships with industry and government entities.
Aspiring leaders seeking flexible learning pathways can also explore the new MDX Dubai MBA (Daytime Delivery) programme at Middlesex University Dubai. Offered within the brand-new Global MBA Study Hub at the university’s Dubai International Academic City campus, the programme provides a unique alternative to traditional evening programmes. With eight specialisations including finance, innovation and entrepreneurship, and healthcare management, the programme empowers students to tailor their learning experience to their career goals.
The university is also launching the MSc Sports Performance Technology course to equip students with advanced skills amid growing demand for precision in performance metrics, as exampled by the Paris Olympics 2024, while its new MSc Financial Technology programme addresses the burgeoning fintech sector’s need for expertise in areas like AI, machine learning, and cryptocurrencies. Its new MSc Legal Technology course will delve into cybersecurity, AI, privacy, and data protection to prepare students for successful legal careers with a focus on technology.
Embedding talent readiness
With a community of more than 33,500 students representing over 170 nationalities, Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai International Academic City are actively helping to shape the global future, embedding the skills needed to successfully address tomorrow’s most pressing needs. Universities at the districts are enriching the local community by empowering individuals to unlock new skills both personally and professionally.
The University of Manchester’s 2024 Global Part-time MBA class will have the highest proportion of women graduates since its first graduation event in the Middle East, and the institution’s programmes are attracting increasing interest from professionals working across a range of industries.
The communities of learners are further nurtured with academically valuable recognition and in the new academic year, the University of Wollongong Dubai will offer up to 50% merit-based scholarships for undergraduate programmes, while Middlesex University Dubai’s Academic Excellence Scholarship’s Schools Partnership Grant allows students from partner schools to combine their Academic Excellence Scholarship with a grant of AED 2,500.
Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai International Academic City are part of TECOM Group’s portfolio of 10 business districts, including Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Design District (d3).