ABU DHABI // It is the only centre of its kind in the country, offering young men and boys a rare chance to turn their lives around.
The campus in the desert outside Abu Dhabi does not look like much, but the staff at Zayed Military City in Al Shahama give hope for a job and a future to those who have nowhere else to go.
The Vocational Education Development Centre (VEDC) opened three years ago by royal decree from Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE. The 667 young Emiratis aged 14 to 23 who are enrolled there may have once appeared as lost causes to their parents and teachers. But they have been welcomed into an environment that focuses less on formal training in passing on the kind of personal, academic and vocational skills that will help them become fully functioning members of society.
The concept is about giving young men a second chance to prove their worth, find a purpose in life and regain lost faith in themselves. Targeted are those who have struggled and failed to fit into the mainstream educational system, due to emotional, social, behavioural or academic issues. The programme also helps those who were forced to cut their education short to start working.
“There is an educational revolution in this country, and the leadership of this country cares about every single individual,” says Khodair Abid, the principal.
“The idea behind VEDC is a hands-on, visual curriculum that will cater to a certain segment of students, who have had some problems with staying in the regular educational system, and yet who still deserve to be armed with an education they can use to feel they are an important part of the country.”
The centre sent its first batch of 73 graduates into the workforce this summer.
“We work with the Ministry of Education to find these kids, and we provide them with hands-on applied learning,” says Mr Abid. “Most of our kids just can’t learn through the traditional way of learning, so our curriculum is based on hands-on workshops.”
Managed jointly by the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT), the VEDC is one of its six campuses that fall under the auspices of the UAE Armed Forces General Headquarters.
The young men are boarded at the school during two-, three- and five-year programmes, with their studies devoted as much to developing social skills as vocational work.
“This is the only institute of its type in the country, and perhaps in the whole region, that accepts students who for one reason or another could not complete high school,” says Mubarak al Shamesi, director of IAT. “We find these young men and tell them there is still hope, there is still a chance for them.”
VEDC’s students are trained in the technical branches of automotive, electrical, mechanical fitting, metal fabrication and the non-technical stream of business administration. New branches are planned to teach graphic design and fine arts, the mechanics of air conditioning, motorsport and aircraft maintenance, automotive manufacturing and emergency management.
“We help the students discover their talents and choose their interest,” says Mr al Shamesi. “We treat these students as men. We don’t patronise them. And above all, we actually help them in developing a career.”
The students receive internationally valid certificates upon completion of their course, which are linked to the Technical and Further Education system of Australia and recognised by the UAE Ministry of Education. Mohammed al Neyadi, the deputy director at IAT, says VEDC has created strong links to industry so graduates have an easier time moving out into the workforce.
“When they graduate, thanks to the good relationships we’ve nurtured with different companies in the UAE, all of our students will be placed in the workforce.”
The students also engage in daily sport activities and frequent trips involving mountaineering, yachting and biking.
The campus provides the boys with a social club, gym and mosque, as well as computer labs, workshops and classrooms outfitted with the very best in tools and equipment.
To celebrate the recent National Day, the students performed a series of short plays, pantomimes and comedic routines they had devised, directed and produced entirely on their own.
Each Emirati boy at the college is provided with individual attention and counselling. “It’s important that we give each student his fair share of centred attention. It’s almost like a ‘customer service’ concept for us,” says Mr Abid.
“We’re not a normal school or institution, but we still want our kids to feel comfortable about coming here, not forced.”
The programme looks to have settled on a successful formula, said Karam al Lawand, the career development manager. “In the beginning when the kids first come here, they have a negative attitude, their discipline is low, they don’t care and they feel like there is no hope for them.
“By the time they graduate, they’ve grown up to become disciplined and responsible men; you can see the difference. It’s extremely rewarding to be a part of that.”
Case study // Mansour al Mazmi
Mansour al Mazmi is keen to share his tale as a student at the centre: a journey of transformation from a boy looking for one more chance to a self-assured, articulate young man with pride in his achievements.
“Three years ago, I had no future,” he says. “I had left school and was sitting at home, hanging out with my friends doing nothing, I had no purpose.”
After learning about the Vocational Education Development Centre (VEDC) through a television commercial and applying to join, his attitude towards education changed entirely.
“I really liked working with my hands; I could relate to the visual hands-on learning better than just learning in a classroom. Learning at VEDC was so interesting, it’s nothing like school. Sure, it was hard in the beginning, and we’d get homesick from being away from our families all week and only seeing them on the weekends, but soon, my friends at VEDC became like my brothers, and the teachers are the older brothers I’d look up to.
“I started liking education, and caring once again about studying. I began believing I could have a future, a career.”
Specialising in mechanics, Mansour, 20, had six job offers when he graduated and has been working as an operator at a local weapons manufacturing company for the past five months. He now plans to enroll in university. “I can’t tell you how much VEDC changed my life. Now I have a salary and can give my mother some money each month. Imagine how good that makes me feel as a man.
“My advice to students here would be to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. Kids who were once thought hopeless are now taught and guaranteed jobs. Work hard and change your lives around, like I did.”
Khodair Abid, the principal, said success stories like Mansour made his job worth doing: “This boy, he’s an inspiration not only to his peers, but to every teacher here as well.”
Hala Khalaf