Higher Colleges of Technology
Overview
The Higher Colleges of Technology is the largest higher educational
institution in the United Arab Emirates with the current enrolment exceeding
16,000 students, all UAE nationals.
Since the establishment of its four founding colleges in 1988, the Higher
Colleges of Technology have become well respected for innovative learning
in the United Arab Emirates. Across the UAE today, in the cities of
Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Fujairah and Madinat
Zayed, the sixteen HCT men's and women's modern campuses offer an impressive
range of programs – over 80 different programs at four different
credential levels – Diploma, Higher Diploma, Bachelor and Masters
degrees. About 10,000 of the current students are female.
The HCT celebrates its 20th year of operations this year with many strategic
new initiatives to further expand and enhance its operations in quality
and in increasing access. HCT has awarded over 37,000 credentials in
their first two decades. These graduates have gone into the UAE employment
market, making a significant impact on sustainable economic and social
development of the country.
Quality
HCT is committed to maintaining the highest quality in all its programs,
and has a rigorous program quality assurance system (PQAS) in place
for this purpose. As part of the PQAS, the HCT Learning Model defines
eight graduate outcomes which are to be achieved through each program,
and these are evaluated annually. HCT places a strong emphasis on international
accreditation and benchmarking of professional programs.
Enhanced of learning
New skills and teaching techniques are regularly incorporated into the
colleges' programs and courses . All students learn in a technologically
sophisticated educational environment that encourages development of
the independent and life-long learning skills necessary for success
in a fast changing world. Emphasis is on student-centered, hands-on,
technology enabled and workplace relevant teaching-learning practices.
Programs in English
Over 80 different programs are delivered in English: Business, Communication
Technology, Education, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences and Information
Technology. All programs are designed in consultation with business
and industry leaders to ensure that the skills students learn are job-relevant
and to high standards.
Graduates
HCT graduates have developed a reputation throughout the UAE for their
technical and communications skills and for their adaptability to actual
workplace conditions. Because of this, HCT graduates are eagerly sought
by organisations looking to build their workforce with young Emiratis
who are capable of operating effectively in today's global business
environment.
A mix of theory and practice
All students must undertake a period of work placement or
internship or practicum in order to graduate from a Diploma,
Higher Diploma, Bachelor or Masters Degree program.
Industry links
Strong ties to business and industry result in large numbers
of HCT graduates finding rewarding employment. Many organisations
have entered into partnerships with the HCT to provide training
and development programs - these include Microsoft, Cisco
Systems and Shell through their Intilaaqah entrepreneurship
program . Industry links have led to the establishment of
HCT's commercial arm, the Centre of Excellence for Applied
Research and Training (CERT). The centre is involved in
strategic alliances with a number of multinational organisations
to collaborate on a full range of business and technology
solutions.
Global awareness: events, conferences and exchanges:
HCT places significant emphasis on preparing students for
a globalized workplace. The UAE national students are provided
many and varied opportunities to become conversant with
international best practices in their professions and understanding
of other cultures. Major international conferences such
as Education Without Borders and Festival of Thinkers are
organized by HCT to meet this objective. Also, HCT has entered
agreements with several institutions around the world to
send the students to different countries for work placement,
language training and cultural visits.
