A number of international educational institutes will take part in an upcoming education and career fair in Abu Dhabi, targeting more than 25,000 Emirati school-leavers looking for higher education locally and abroad.

The sixth edition of Najah Education, Training and Careers Fair will take place from October 16 to 18 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

According to the UAE National Bureau of Statistics, 27,909 Emirati students graduated in the 2010-2011 UAE academic year, leaving the door wide open for international universities and vocational training institutes with their latest programmes to step in and snap up students.

Among the headline international universities participating in the fair is the world-renowned Henley Business School in the UK. Ranked among the top business schools in Europe, Henley will launch part time Master’s Degrees in Real Estate, including the MSc in Real Estate, MSc in Real Estate Investment and Finance, and the MSc in Corporate Real Estate.

David Klewin, strategic partner for the Middle East at Henley Business School, said: “Now operating in 17 countries, Henley Business School is known for developing outstanding business professionals and leaders, and our distinctive approach is proven to deliver results.

“Having a truly global reputation and reach, we recently entered the UAE market in 2011, and view Najah as the perfect opportunity to introduce Henley Business School to Abu Dhabi.”

Meanwhile, the high standard of French universities will be highlighted again for the second year running at Najah.

CampusFrance, the French government agency which promotes French higher education abroad is eager to impart the benefits of a French degree from some of France’s top business schools.

“French education is highly regarded as among the best in the world,” said Claire Bertolotti, head of CampusFrance, which opened an office in Abu Dhabi in 2011.

“Grenoble, HEC Paris, ESSEC Business School, and ESCP Europe are all French universities which sit in the Financial Times’ top ten business schools in the world, and we are looking to promote them again at Najah this year.”

Other global universities and institutions taking part this year promoting education abroad include Education Malaysia, British University in Egypt, the Swiss Hotel Management School, the British Council, Institute of International Education from the US, the International Group for Education Consultancy (IGEC) and IDP Education, which promotes higher education opportunities in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

They will face stiff competition from the dozens of locally based private and federal universities continuing their long-standing relationship at Najah, including Sponsors Al Hosn University, Ajman University of Science & Technology, and Zayed University.

Education remains a key focal point for the UAE Government, which has set aside Dh8.2 billion ($2.23 billion) of its Dh41 billion federal budget in 2012 specifically for the sector, in response to a growing number of young people in the country.

Khurram Saeed, Najah exhibition director said: “The UAE’s higher education sector has witnessed rapid growth in recent years, hosting more than 70 ministry-accredited institutions while catering to over 120,000 students that are currently enrolled at various institutions across the country.”

“It is estimated that nearly one million Emiratis in the UAE now are under the age of 20, highlighting the importance of continuing to invest in developing a knowledge economy and harnessing the combined power of the leaders of tomorrow.  For our part, Najah strives to provide the platform to make this happen,” he added.

The three-day event returns with the popular psychometric assessment centre, along with the advice clinic where visitors will receive one-on-one counselling on education and careers options by qualified Emirati career counsellors. – TradeArabia News Service