Gulf Education and Training Exhibition (GETEX) recently announced that it is launching an Autumn edition of its 20-year-old student recruitment event. In a move aimed at offering education providers an opportunity to enrol students for the academic cycle beginning in January 2009, GETEX Autumn will be held in Bahrain, and Dubai.
"GETEX Autumn complements the brand's agenda of creating opportunities for education and excellence, and similarly aims to ensure that education remains a priority throughout the year," said organiser Anselm Godinho.
He said GETEX Autumn is being held in Dubai as well as in Bahrain, due to market demand and learner preferences. "Our research indicates that many universities are looking for a consolidated platform to help enrol learners for the academic cycle starting in January, while at the same time, many learners are interested in starting earlier than the regular fall intake," he added.
GETEX Autumn – Bahrain will be held from October 23 to 25 at the University of Bahrain in Manama. The Dubai event will be held from October 28 to 30 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Organisers say the event will offer an excellent opportunity for education and training providers to focus on their fall intake for the spring academic cycle, and for recruiters and employers wanting to bolster their human resource pool at a fraction of normal hiring and vetting costs.
Technical and engineering courses will be the main focus at GETEX Autumn because of the demand for these professionals in the Middle East.
Mind your language
Staff report
Eleven students at the Madinat Zayed Higher Colleges of Technology in the Western region of Abu Dhabi recently returned from an eight-week International Programme in the United Kingdom.
The students, who were selected on several criteria including talent, ambition, and academic performance, were sponsored by the Western Region Municipality.
The students received four weeks of intensive English instruction at Eurocentres, Lee Green, London Campus. The organisation is a worldwide network that creates personalised and innovative methods of teaching languages and provides high standard courses and well-equipped quality schools.
Students then undertook a four-week cultural and commercial programme of London life and business. The programme allows the students to gain a more thorough understanding of British culture while providing them with the opportunity to use English language within the context of their assigned workplace and everyday activities.
A unique experience for them was that they were accommodated by British host families.
Iftar and theatrical play
By Maysam ali
Al Ain Women's College (AWC) last week held an Iftar for its staff, students and their families at the college campus. Around 10 students from the Student Council organised the entire event, in addition to an entertaining theatrical play following the Iftar.
Almost 600 students, parents and staff members attended the event. The organising committee said that they felt proud to have organised such a huge event.
"We started organising in the summer and by the time the Iftar ended, we all felt like we had a good time. Those who came said that the event was very successful," Sameera Al Marzouqi, president of the Student Council said.
A second-year information technology student, Sameera heads a Student Council made up of 16 students. The council's role is to coordinate between the students and the administration and to push for students' demands, Sameera said.
"We are the link between the students and the management and we help students find out what they want and what they need to make the studying environment as comfortable as possible."
To give the audience a good laugh, students organised a play to end their evening. Huda Khamis Al Abri, vice-president of the Student Council, directed and wrote the script for the play, which was titled Silence has Limits.
Six girls took to the stage and depicted how an average girl student spends her day during Ramadan.
"It shows that girls are addicted to Noor (a Turkish soap opera) and they dream about taking the lead actress's role in that show," said Huda.
"The girls have different characters. Some of them are naughty, others are nerds, etc. One of them is infatuated by Muhannad from Noor and shows the attitude of a rebellious girl. Although that usually means she is a bad girl, we tried to show that appearance does not necessarily reflect personality because the very shy girl ends up shocking everyone," she said. The play ran for half an hour and was well received by the audience.
This gave the ladies motivation to work on events as successful as these two in the future. "We have National Day, a Movie Night and a Sports Day coming up. We hope participants will enjoy them," she said.
Supporting Filmmaking
Staff report
The SAE Institute Group has teamed up with JVC Professional Europe Ltd to launch a new global initiative designed to support quality creative media education locally in each of SAE Group's 52 creative media campuses.
With campuses in Dubai, the SAE Group provides industry-standard training in filmmaking, animation, audio engineering and multimedia design. The SAE Institute entered the Middle East in 2006 with its first campus at the Dubai Knowledge Village, a member of TECOM Investments. The organisation also has facilities in Jordan and Kuwait.
As part of this new partnership, JVC will provide advice and complete turnkey systems to match the video and audio production, AV display and CCTV security needs of SAE Institutes worldwide.
Aiming to make a diploma in film-making an interesting choice for prospective students, JVC will also provide SAE Institutes globally with the JVC GY-HD200 cameras. Among its many features, the camera offers multiple frame rate recording, including full-frame 720p/60 imaging.
JVC is planning to support a number of student projects, seminars and awards — from global programmes to local campus-based activities – by offering sponsorship and technical support. The initiative will provide students with the chance to purchase JVC equipment at discounted prices, from both the professional and consumer divisions.
Tom Misner, Founder and Director, SAE Institute said: "Our students already have access to the best audio facilities and equipment at SAE Institutes around the world. The new partnership, which delivers full HD video equipment from JVC for use both in the studio and outdoor for assignments, will additionally broaden the scope of our offerings to our students.
"As the global media industry continues to expand, it is vital for all levels of training to meet the standards required by the recent profusion of online and traditional media outlets. JVC will help us give our students an excellent grounding in broadcast and video production, providing the hands-on experience they need for their future roles in the media industry."
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Eid charity drives
The American University of Sharjah concludes successful charity campaigns that received immense student support
Staff report
The Palestinian Cultural Club atthe American University of Sharjah (AUS) concluded its Eid Charity Drive recently. Donations reached more than Dh8,500 and two tons of clothes, books, toys and electronic devices.
The campaign, which was held for 10 days, was held in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent.
"The campaign is meant to bring joy and happiness to the Palestinian children around the world on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr," said Mohammad Afanah, president of the Palestinian Cultural Club. "The effort the students have put into the campaign helped make it a success and I am really happy with the results."
Red Crescent Official Ali Al Hammadi said that he was glad with the results of the drive. "We will make sure that the toys, clothes and money reach Palestinian orphans and children," he said.
Also part of the university's activities was a large charity iftar which more than 800 people attended. Organisers said it was one of the biggest charity iftars the university has ever held.
The event brought together university students, faculty and staff, as well as 25 orphans from Human Appeal International in Ajman, 20 elderly adults from the Old Peoples' Home in Sharjah and the AUS cleaning staff. The Charity Iftar also coincided with the launch of two charity campaigns that continued throughout Ramadan.
Annual tradition
Dr Moza Al Shehi, vice-chancellor for Student Affairs, said that the iftar has become an annual tradition. "Holding the iftar reflects the true spirit of giving during Ramadan. It is a great thing when we see our students sitting next to orphans, the elderly and the cleaning staff of the university, eating and interacting. This is what the spirit of Ramadan is all about," she said.
More than 30 volunteer students took part in organising the event, which began with a reception for the visiting orphans and elderly adults. This was followed by a group sit-down for iftar in the student cafeteria.
Games and competitions were held following the Iftar.
The university's charity campaigns coincided with celebrations for Eid Al Fitr. Boxes to collect donations had also been distributed around campus and students worked hard to raise money.