Students have understood that if they choose to start a business, they won’t have to be dependent on others, expert says

Photos by Shihab

Creativity, entrepreneurship and business programmes are fast replacing old favourites — such as engineering and medicine — as top career options among students, experts say.

At the second day of the Khaleej Times’ UniExpo many Universities put their best foot forward while showcasing their entrepreneurship, design, and creativity programmes which they believe are the hot favourites today and will be so in the future.

Italian-based fashion and design college Istituto Marangoni is one of the top names at the expo offering study options in the field of creativity, design, and entrepreneurship.

“We offer short-term and degree courses,” said Owais Majid, student recruitment and admissions manager at Istituto Marangoni. “The short-term course is for pupils to understand the skills of designing a product, and opens avenues for them to make a mark in the design and creative industry,” he added.

The design college is also offering a five-month fashion entrepreneurship programme where students learn skills and ideas to help them push the global fashion industry forward through design innovation and new business models. “However, the core subject of all the courses is entrepreneurship,” said Majid.

Majid said that the creative industry is on an upward trajectory in the UAE. “In 2020 alone, the industry helped create a hundred thousand jobs in the UAE, and the current statistics show that the creative industry contributes 4 per cent to the UAE’s GDP,” said Majid.

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Daniel Adkins, CEO, of Transnational Academic Group, the management service provider of Curtin University, said that interest among students for entrepreneurship and business courses is massive compared to a few years ago. The university which offers programmes in engineering, business, and humanities, also provides skillsets and grooms students to start their own company. “Dubai is the entrepreneurship, innovation, and business hub of the Middle East. And the demand for courses related to entrepreneurship has seen a sharp rise,” said Adkins.

Adkins said students are more inclined towards creative and business programme today and there is also an evident shift in parents’ preferences from engineering and medicine to business and entrepreneurship. “Youth have understood that as entrepreneurs they will not have to be dependent on others. And parent’s mindset is quite in sync with their kids, for now, and we can expect more transformation in the near future,” said Adkins.

He said there is also a massive shift in pre-pandemic and post-pandemic academics and learning. “The entire field of education has changed, and students have off-campus classes and also study in hybrid models.”

We have six campuses worldwide, and our students can learn specific courses from our universities in any part of the world, added Adkins.

Virtual learning

There is no age limit for learning, and Westford University College has programmes for all age groups in different specialisations ranging from pre-degree courses to doctorates. The college has collaborated with British, Scottish, and Spanish universities and many students are learning virtually through live interactive sessions. “Our student reach is over 125 countries, and the interactive live sessions are recorded. If a topic is missed, the students can always learn from the recording,” said Gorette Fernandes, manager of admissions at Westford University College.

“Most students here are working professionals, and they don’t have time. Learning virtually is the best option for them as employers look out for specific specialisations in an employee,” added Fernandes,

Fernandes, who has been in this industry for over 12 years, said that the education system is slowly transforming by launching study programmes based on students’ requirements and the needs of the job market. “The industry requirements are also increasing, and the system has enhanced, and students have a vast opportunity to gain specialisation in different fields. In previous years, they had just a few courses.

Giving an example she said that in the field of Information Technology itself, “students can now choose from Computer Science, Cyber Security, Network Engineering, and much more,” said Fernandes.