Emerging Education Industry Trends for 2022 released by Najah ahead of October Fairs

• The Emerging Education Industry Trends for 2022 by Najah explores recent higher education considerations and concerns of UAE-based students and parents.

• The recent survey results identified some key challenges that students face when looking for higher education options such as no sufficient guidance on the application process for international study, too many universities to choose from without knowing what differentiates them, and no opportunity to meet face to face with university representatives.

• To make it more accessible for students across the UAE, Najah will be hosted in two emirates this year with Najah Abu Dhabi taking place from 16^th to 18^th October at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and Najah Dubai from 23^rd to 25^th October at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

DUBAI, UAE: Najah, the UAE’s leading higher education fair supported by the Ministry of Education, has released the Emerging Education Industry Trends for 2022, a report that highlights top considerations and concerns of prospective university students, parents, and teachers when curating their higher education journey. The report is released as a supporting material for preparations ahead of the upcoming Najah fairs set in Abu Dhabi from 16^th to 18^th October at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), and Dubai from 23^rd to 25^th October at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

For the past 15 years, Najah has annually hosted over 16,000 students and parents and 150 universities from more than 20 countries around the world. Always operating under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, Najah has a proven track record of being the definitive exhibition for student recruitment in the UAE.

The Report Overview

The students surveyed said they encountered many challenges when selecting their university. The biggest one being the lack of guidance offered on the application process for studying abroad (39%). Other difficulties included the overwhelming number of institutions to choose from (34%), a lack of clarity on how universities differ from one another (33%), and a lack of opportunity to enquire in person or meet face to face with representatives (33%).

The survey also revealed that 61% of the students were looking to pursue their higher education in the UAE, while 39% wished to continue their education abroad, demonstrating a comeback to global student mobility as fears around the pandemic subside. Among the countries shortlisted were the United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Germany, United States, Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Ireland, France, Sweden, Malaysia, Spain, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Greece.

The top fields of study being considered were health sciences (38%), engineering (36%), computer science (25%) and business (24%). While these were the main interests, the UAE-based Regional Center for Educational Planning, in its report ‘Future Scenarios for Education in the GCC Countries’ cited more sectors that offer the biggest potential for future growth in the UAE. These included energy and petrochemicals, travel, tourism & hospitality, manufacturing, trade & logistics, financial services and technology, and media and communications.

Interested entities who are keen to access the Emerging Education Industry Trends for 2022  by Najah can download the full report from LINK.

The Najah Momentum

With the report now out, easily downloadable from the Najah website, momentum builds up as the team lays the groundwork to produce fairs that are even more responsive and attuned to the pulse of its participants.

Leading UAE-based universities such as Khalifa University, Zayed University, UAE University, Al Ain University, New York University Abu Dhabi, Canadian University in Dubai among many others have already confirmed their participation at Najah this year. On the international level, pavilions that include universities from the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan, Malaysia as well as various universities from Europe have also been confirmed. A list of all participating universities will be released closer to the event. Post-show data ascertains that 96% of exhibitors say it is important for them to exhibit at Najah with 85% agreeing that it is an important part of their marketing strategy.

“Brilliant event with everything thought through carefully! Lots of preparation and information came through ahead of the event and it went so smoothly. I met with a great number of highly intelligent and inquisitive students that were interested in our course specialties and location (Scotland, UK). Along with the really friendly Najah Team on hand for everything, I felt the event ran extremely well,” said Finailla Hackwood, Abertay University, UK who will be returning this year as an exhibitor.

Apart from a strong diversity of local and international universities, as well as thought-provoking engagements by relevant academic and non-academic organisations, students will get the chance to find out more about scholarship programs, visa processes, jobs of the future, and alumni experiences among many other important topics at Najah.

“Najah is a much-needed fair for students like me whose minds and hearts are filled with questions, uncertainties and even fears as we embark on these next stages of our lives. With the information we collected at last year’s event, I was able to find my university today and as a bonus, took home a AED10,000 grant as part of one of their sponsorship programs,” said Mohammad Raed Azmi Yacoub, participant from the 2021 edition.

Parents also find value in seeing their children explore various options before setting them off for higher education. “As we’re preparing for the near graduation of our first child, this was a great event to understand what to expect when applying to universities, to know what to ask about, the requirements, process of acceptance, and differences between accreditations. It also gave my daughter a deeper perspective to what university life is like,” commented Abdalla, a parent who attended the 2021 edition of Najah.

Next Steps for Participation

Najah will be hosted in two emirates this year to cater to high school students and post-graduate applicants across the UAE. Najah Abu Dhabi, now in its 16th edition, will take place from 16^th to 18^th October at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). Najah Dubai, now in its 2nd edition after a successful launch last year, will be held from 23^rd to 25^th October at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Interested exhibitors can visit this LINK. Registration for visitors will open soon. To learn more about Najah and stay updated, visit www.najahexpo.com.