Dubai, UAE, 27 October 2015 – The British Council UAE, the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, will host the 14th edition of the Education UK Exhibition 2015 (EDUKEX) at Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi on November 10 and at Dubai World Trade Center, Al Multaqa Ballroom, on November 11 and 12, 2015.
The Abu Dhabi exhibition will feature around 20 universities and will be open between 04:00pm to 09:00pm, while the Dubai event will see participation of around 40 education providers between 05:00pm and 09:00pm over two days. The Gold Sponsor of the 14th edition of EDUKEX is British Council IELTS.
EDUKEX 2015 comes amidst rising interest among UAE students in completing their higher studies in the UK, according to Marc Jessel, Director of the British Council in the UAE. “Over the years, EDUKEX has made UK educational excellence accessible to a wider section of students in the UAE. The popular exhibition is an annual event which targets students from high schools and universities, aspiring to pursue higher education in world renowned UK universities,” added Jessel.
A spokesperson for the UK Visas and Immigration at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi said ‘Students from the UAE continue to choose the UK as a place to study and the UK offers an excellent visa service for Emirati students. In the past year, the UK issued around 1500 visas to Emiratis for the purposes of studying, a figure similar to the previous year. 99% of applications from Emirati students were cleared, and 81% of these were resolved within 5 days. The UK offers special conditions for Emirati students, including fewer supporting documents, and a full range of services for faster processing. Students applying in the UAE can take advantage of our priority visa services for faster processing.’ “As the world’s leading English proficiency test, IELTS has helped millions of people worldwide access education and employment opportunities,” added Nick Godfrey, Country Examinations Manager, British Council UAE. ‘IELTS, the world’s prestigious English language test that is available through more than 900 test centres and locations in over 130 countries, has cemented its position as the world’s most popular high stakes English language test by providing a reliable measure of a candidate’s ability across the four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking.”
EDUKEX 2015 provides UAE students with opportunities to obtain UK qualifications and return to the UAE to contribute to the economy with their ideas and skills. The target qualifications include access/foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA while the main target subject areas incorporate Applied and Pure Sciences, Built/Natural Environment, Computing, Math and IT, Education, Engineering and Technology, Health and Medicine, Humanities, Law, Management, Business and Finance, Social Science and Communications, Sport, Leisure, Hospitality, Tourism, and Visual and Creative Arts and Design.
Along with the UK, IELTS is also accepted Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand as well as other worldwide destinations. “Taking the IELTS exam helped me move to Canada, and gain the job that I wanted,” says Shivani Karwal, popular fashion blogger, Toronto, Canada. “In 2013, after I graduated from my MBA programme, I did the IELTS test, mainly because I wanted to move to Canada and find a job. So, when I was applying for the IELTS exam, I went to the British Council, and they helped me in filling up the application and gave me a good study material. They also recommended me a lot of different books.” “I work as a search engine optimisation specialist for a digital marketing agency in Toronto. Taking the IELTS exam definitely helped me in my career, and it also opened up many doors for me,” added Karwal.
Participating institutions at the show include The University of Reading, University of Essex, King’s College London, Cardiff University, Coventry University, University of Surrey, Norwich University of the Arts, Staffordshire University, Leeds Trinity University, University of Lincoln, London Metropolitan University, BPP University, York St John University, Liverpool John Moores University, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Roehampton, Loughborough University, City University, University of Greenwich, Kaplan International, University for the Creative Arts, University College London, The University of Edinburgh, Queen Mary University of London, University of Huddersfield, University of Warwick, Loughborough College, Sheffield Hallam University, Liverpool Hope University, University of Exeter, University of Westminster, University of the Arts London, University of Southampton, University of Kent, The University of Manchester, Kingston University, Royal Holloway, University of London, University of Aberdeen, University of Leeds, and School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London. EDUKEX 2015 will also allow students and parents to get detailed information about educational programmes, through dedicated sessions at both venues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, while highlighting relevant information on visa requirements, studying and living in the UK and types of undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as information regarding scholarships and financial aid.