ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 05th May, 2021) Higher education and career counsellors 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 Counsellors Forum, a full-day virtual event designed to empower the emirate’s career and university counsellors with the latest industry expertise.
With a line-up of 14 reputed speakers 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 counselling and university guidance and highlighted the department’s ongoing commitment to the emirate’s counsellors and students via a range of cutting-edge platforms and resources.
Khuloud Al Dhaheri, Executive Director Education Partnerships Sector, ADEK, said, "The Abu Dhabi Counsellors Forum offered more than 200 of the emirate’s private and public school professionals a unique platform to tap into up-to-the-minute counselling expertise and enhance their skills by leveraging industry knowledge and insights from the best in the business. The forum represented real value to counsellors 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 Programme (UPCG), an initiative that equips high school students to prepare for studies and careers while simultaneously enabling ADEK to identify home-grown talent for international scholarship opportunities.
Forum attendees were also given the latest updates on international standardised tests and university entrance exams by Princeton Review, a leading standardised test preparation organisation, 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 programme for professional development in the counselling sphere; government scholarship programmes for nationals and a dedicated session on ADEK’s Scholarships for Distinguished Students, a programme designed to meet the priority labour market needs.
Thabet Obeidat, Guidance Counsellor from Al Yasat Private School Abu Dhabi, stated, "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 Counselling (IACAC), took part in the event from Beijing. She said, "The Abu Dhabi Counsellors 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."
