New project a boost to Higher Education in the Emirates
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A new agreement between HCT CERT and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) will benefit tens of thousands of Higher Education students from the UAE in the next three years.
From May 2011, UAE-based students at HCT planning to study on Higher Education courses in English speaking environments will be able to prove they have the necessary language skills by taking the newly developed Higher Education Admissions (HEA) Test. Developed by experts from Cambridge ESOL and the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, the HEA Test will allow students to prove their language ability in line with international standards recognised by universities all over the world.
Dr Mike Milanovic, Cambridge ESOLs Chief Executive says: The HEA Test has been put in place to effectively recruit thousands of students wishing to continue further studies at the Higher Colleges of Technology each year. Through the HEA Test the students will be able to prove that they have the required language skills needed to survive in what can be a very demanding environment.
Starting in May, the project will see several HEA Test sessions run in 2011 with many more planned in 2012 and onwards. The tens of thousands choosing this route will be able to download their results online which show where their skills sit in relation to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), an international benchmark for language skills. The project is the brainchild of HCTs Vice Chancellor Dr Tayeb Kamali and Cambridge ESOLs Chief Executive Dr Mike Milanovic when they met back in March 2010.
The HCT who work to develop a strong national workforce in the UAE say the new project will be a real boost to Higher Education in the region. HCT Vice Chancellor Dr Tayeb Kamali said the agreement would help HCT meet the challenge of providing its students with educational experiences that transform school-leavers into highly skilled graduates ready to contribute to the nation-building process.
Students have to progress through courses and programs using English, which for them is a second language, so the HCT educational experiences must ensure the students are able to communicate effectively using English, Dr Kamali said. We are therefore very pleased to be working closely with such a venerable institution as the University of Cambridges ESOL department in addressing the English language skills and needs of HCT students.
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