Higher education and career counselors from some of the world’s most renowned academic institutions have taken part in the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge’s (ADEK)inaugural Abu Dhabi Counselors Forum, a full-day virtual event designed to empower the emirate’s career and university counselors with the latest industry expertise.
With a line-up of 14reputedspeakers uniting world-class talent from leading educational institutions including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and New York University Abu Dhabi, the forum underscored ADEK’s progressive approach to career counseling and university guidance and highlighted the Department’s ongoing commitment to the emirate’s counselors and students via a range of cutting-edge platforms and resources.
Her Excellency KhuloudAlDhaheri, Executive Director Education Partnerships Sector, ADEK, said: “The Abu Dhabi Counselors Forum gave over 200 of the emirate’s private and public school professionals a unique platform to tap into up-to-the-minute counseling expertise and enhance their individual skills by leveraging industry knowledge and insights from the best in the business. The forum represented real value to counselors that will immediately impact students, enabling them to make better informed higher education and career choices. The expertise and knowledge shared will benefit the entire education ecosystem.”
Session highlights included an update on ADEK’s Rize University Preparation and Career Guidance Program (UPCG), an initiative that aims to equip high school students with guidance, tools and resources to prepare for future studies and careers while simultaneously enabling ADEK to identify homegrown talent for international scholarship opportunities.
Forum attendees were also given the latest updates on international standardized tests and university entrance exams by Princeton Review, a leading standardized test preparation organization, and Wiser Study UK Education Consultancy, while spokespeople from NYUAD, Oxford and Cambridge presented a session on elite university admission interviews.
Further sessions covered ‘Coaching Kinetics’, a coaching program for professional development in the counseling sphere; government scholarship programs for UAE nationals; and a dedicated session on ADEK’s Scholarships for Distinguished Students, a program designed to meet priority labor market needs.
AlDhaheri said: “This event is a milestone for the education sector in the region. Holding a forum for counselors will not only ensure that they are kept up to date with industry trends and best practices, it will also ensure a ripple effect which will benefit current and future students seeking advice and guidance on their future careers. That can only be a positive to the Abu Dhabi emirate’s education system.
“The overwhelmingly positive response to the forum strengthens our resolve to create a wide breadth of educational and career opportunities for Abu Dhabi’s students, with the inaugural event’s success providing a solid foundation on which to build future forums to further aid students unlocking their future potential.”
Guidance Counselor, ThabetObeidat from Al Yasat Private School Abu Dhabi commented: “I would like to thank ADEK for the opportunity to participate in the first Abu Dhabi Counselors Forum. The forum explored the most up-to-date professional guidelines for collegiate admissions to regional and international colleges and universities. I look forward to the second edition.”
Michelle Chow-Liu, VP for membership at International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), took part in the event from Beijing. She said: “The Abu Dhabi Counselors Forum was the perfect opportunity for the IACAC to share and learn industry best practices and to extend our network and connections. This event was the perfect platform for sharing our work.”
For more information, visit adek.gov.ae or follow ADEK on social media:
Follow ADEK on social media:
- Instagram: @adek_insta
- Twitter: ADEK_tweet
- Facebook: Department of Education and Knowledge
- YouTube: ADEK Abu Dhabi
