Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) and Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) have both announced an overall growth of 24 per cent as a further 80 HR and education institutes signed up to the business parks throughout 2012, up from 61 new partners in 2011, bringing the total to 564 across both business parks.

 

DIAC is the world’s only Free Zone dedicated to Higher Education, while DKV is the only free zone area dedicated to human resource management and learning excellence.  

 

DKV saw the introduction of a number of new educational providers and consultants, including executive search firms Carmichael Fisher MEA and Antal International, business etiquette school Protocol School of Washington and the world’s largest HR association, SHRM MEA. 

 

Amongst the Education Cluster’s academic institutions, University of Wollongong Dubai and Middlesex University significantly increased their presence in Dubai, owing to increased student numbers and the high quality of services and support provided by the Education Cluster.

 

DKV and DIAC’s growth rates are a testament to the fact that the parks continue to attract leading organisations as they further cement their positions as centres of excellence for HR and higher education, said a senior official.

 

Dr Ayoub Kazim, the managing director of Tecom’s Education Cluster which incorporates DKV and DIAC, said: “Both these business parks are already home to some of the best educational institutions in the world. We are delighted to welcome our new partners into the fold as we continue to support the development of a diversified knowledge-based economy.”

 

The news of DIAC and DKV’s success follows a recent Workforce Planning Study, carried out by DIAC with Deloitte, which revealed that the UAE is seen as the fourth most attractive education destination in the world for students seeking to pursue their studies abroad, and the most attractive education destination among emerging market economies – beating the likes of China, Singapore and Australia.

 

The report also put the spotlight on the fact that there are 64 skills in high demand across a range of sectors in the region including the skills required for entry-level tourism and senior-level telecoms roles. 

 

Dr Ayoub Kazim said, “Whilst 2012 has been a very good year for us, we are not resting on our laurels as there is still plenty of work to do – particularly in addressing some of the skills gaps identified across the region."

 

"Our focus for the next few years is to work closely with our existing and new partners to provide academic and training programmes that cater to the demands of the regional workforce," he added.-TradeArabia News Service