ExpatWoman Education Fair Announcement

The ExpatWoman.com annual Education Fair is a one-stop event for all matters educational in Dubai. It will feature representatives from the many educational institutes covering nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary options, as well as adult education.

Education is always a key theme for ExpatWoman readers and a popular forum topic for newcomers trying to find places for school age children and new mums assessing nurseries. Dubai has a wide range of choices at secondary level and the tertiary sector has grown exponentially in recent years; with much more choice available than residents are generally aware of. This event is always well attended, with parents having the opportunity to browse a wide range of options and discuss their interests and concerns, face to face with educational professionals representing a broad range of specialisms.

Dubai residents are fortunate to be faced with so much choice at all stages of academia. Different nurseries offer different approaches to early years development and it pays to research to find the right place for a toddler's first steps out of the home environment. Mothers of young children are invited to come along and meet the nursery teams, to get a feel for the schools and discuss any concerns.

There will be a wide range of primary schools exhibiting at the Fair representing the different approaches and curricula available. Parents and students will be interested to talk to professionals from the many secondary schools represented to research International versus British versus American options and the implications of the choice on further education paths. Teams from the universities of Dubai will be there to offer their expert opinion on curriculum choice. The examining boards Edexcel and Cambridge University are also attending and will be answering queries from a global perspective.

At the tertiary level, UOWD, Middlesex University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Murdoch University, The London College Of Fashion & SAE Institute offer a very wide range of courses based in Dubai, and some have links to partner campuses in London and the USA. ExpatWoman.com Managing Director, Jane Drury, says, "The option to split a degree course studying partly here and partly abroad offers interesting opportunities for both social and professional development, and for sandwich courses, international internships can only add weight to a graduate CV. For some families also, reduced costs of one or two years of study being home-based will be a consideration."

The event is not just about the younger generation, there are also further education and retraining options represented. Drury continues, "It is less common than it used to be with more single and married women working in the region, but still it is often the case that women come to the region as a 'trailing spouse' or have taken career breaks to raise a family. We meet women all the time who have taken the opportunity to maybe change career, retrain or set up their own business, and many more who are looking for something but not sure what to do."

Course options for adults represented at the event will include short courses in interior design, fashion, film, photography, animation and multimedia, professional qualifications to teach in nursery and schools early years, brain training to enhance intelligence and memory, first aid and a range of courses around entrepreneurship and starting your own business. Some of these courses have options or timings that work as after school activities too and for the younger students they can consider etiquette and savoir-vivre training, English and Maths tuition and a fun Lego club amongst other activities.

The ExpatWoman Education Fair is being held on March 13th from 4pm till 9pm at the Grand Millennium Hotel, TECOM, Barsha. There is no booking required and entry is free, with light refreshments available. Parking is available and the metro station TECOM stop is nearby.