Getex is the largest education fair in the Middle East and Asia offering access to over 2,500 education options.
With the premium on good education rising like never before, schools, colleges and universities from around the world vie to recruit young minds.
The 2008 iteration of Getex Dubai, being held from April 2 to 5 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC), has attracted some of the leading universities and education providers in the world, along with education equipment and technology suppliers, human resource recruiters and vocational training providers.
Getex is the largest education fair in the Middle East and Asia. Organised by International Conferences and Exhibitions (IC&E), Getex is currently held at three venues — Dubai, Bahrain and Bangalore in India. In the UAE, Getex, which originally stood for Gulf Education and Training Exhibition, has today turned into a brand, and is hosted under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and focuses on three distinct segments: Education Equipment and Technology, Careers and Training, and Student Recruitment.
In a recent press release, Anselm Godinho, Managing Director of IC&E said, "Getex has evolved from a student recruitment show to a complete networking forum for the education industry. Getex is involved with, and actively facilitates, a number of education-related activities including student recruitment, professional placement, didactic technology introduction, and training. Getex will also be hosting discussion forums, workshops, seminars and conferences that bring together expert knowledge with new ideas to generate new schema, paradigms and networks in education."
Getex is supported by Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV), Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and all the universities affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research including the Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE University and Zayed University and a host of international agencies and associations including the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) — USA, the British Council, Agence EduFrance, Canadian Consulate, OSEC Business Network — Switzerland, the Italian Embassy, the German Academic Exchange Service, Enterprise Ireland and the South African Embassy.
Major attraction
Last year Getex attracted 520 exhibitors from 38 countries. The event attracted an audience of more than 30,000 visitors including teachers, academic and working professionals and graduate students.
This year, the 20th Getex Dubai, allows national and expatriate students access to more than 2,500 secondary and tertiary education options from over 500 education providers through its Getex — Student Recruitment event.
Leading universities
Countries like the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, France, India, South Africa and others are sending in delegates from leading universities to attract students from the UAE and the region to avail of undergraduate and post graduate study programmes they offer. In addition there are educational institutions from all the GCC countries, including every emirate of the UAE, offering a variety of study programmes.
The South African Embassy is hosting delegates from the University of South Africa, Pretoria University, Fort Hare, University of Witwatersrand and others from South Africa during Getex.
"We facilitate the participation of these universities and provide student permits to students who wish to pursue their education in South Africa. We are seeing steady increase in interest from students in the region to pursue their studies in our beautiful country, which offers world-class education," says Agnes Nyamande Pitso, Consul General of South Africa in Dubai.
In addition to Getex Student Recruitment, Getex Careers 2008 being held from April 2 to 5 and Getex Education Equipment and Technology taking place from April 1 to 3, hostx an extended line up career, training and job recruitment organisations and education equipment suppliers respectively.
Getex Careers
A natural progression of Getex's education focus, Getex Careers and Training offers employment opportunities for senior students looking for access to the job market, experienced employees climbing the career ladder and also caters to professionals wanting to acquire new skills through targeted qualifications. The expo is a one-stop-shop for professionals looking for that next step up the career ladder.
"Getex Careers and Training 2008, is seeking to represent a large number of industry sectors so that potential employees can explore various career avenues and cross transfer of skills. The aim is to create a dynamic spectrum of cross-sector opportunities for professionals with all levels of experience," says Godinho.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has assumed title sponsorship of Getex Careers and Training 2008.
Adnoc has a distinguished history of hiring and retaining the best talent, locally and internationally and is to use its title sponsorship to attract the best talent into key roles within the company.
Mubarak A. Al Mehairbi, Group Nationals Recruitment Department, Manager, Deputy CEO Office at Adnoc says, "Adnoc is growing quickly, and our support of Getex Careers and Training forms a key part of our long-term human resources strategy to discover new as well as experienced talent that helps us meet the myriad demands of a competitive energy sector."
Adnoc and Schlumberger are among the exhibitors representing recruiters in the oil and gas sector, while hotel chains such as the Monarch are looking to hire talent in the hospitality industry.
Government organisations including Dubai Municipality and the UAE Civil Aviation Authority are seeking employees with a flair for public services, while education providers like the British University in Dubai are headhunting academics and instructors.
Specialist agencies
Getex Careers and Training 2008, is also hosting a portfolio of specialist recruitment agencies and facilitators, including CP, Dulsco, Oil Arabia, Intuit and Tanmia.
"The aim of Getex Careers and Training 2008 is to reduce the usual opportunity cost associated with gathering leads and following them up from both a recruiter and potential employee viewpoint," informs Godinho.
"We are gathering a critical mass of recruiters and organisations seeking talent under one roof, and inviting professionals to take advantage of this opportunity. We are also hosting recruitment agencies and consultants to further facilitate the process."
Getex Education Equipment and Technology
Getex Equipment and Technology was born out of a market need to keep abreast of the latest developments in learning delivery tools. The expo serves as a meeting point for investors and buyers to parley with equipment and service providers.
According to Godinho, educators and learners are realising the benefits of deploying technological solutions as a means of improving the standard of instruction, ensuring higher student participation in the learning process and reducing operational and infrastructure costs.
As a result, more investments are being made in technological tools and methods that will enhance education delivery, knowledge management and control processes in their institutions.
Getex Education Equipment and Supply is providing a unique forum for manufacturers and dealers in education technology and equipment to interact with the region's education providers, professionals and buyers.
Getex Education Equipment and Technology is also hosting the Getex ISTE Global Conference on Technology. The conference programe is under the direction of US based International Society for Technology in Education. The Getex ISTE global forum offers an opportunity for educators, school leaders, and policy makers to interact with and learn from education researchers, thought leaders and expert practitioners from the Gulf region and around the world.
"Technology is transforming the educational landscape, offering new opportunities and challenges for educators and learners alike. It is a powerful tool for facilitating the acquisition, distribution and exchange of information in brand new ways.
"Technology-using educators can generate rich content that can be delivered and interrogated through multiple channels. ISTE believes that the Middle East is on the cusp of widespread changes in ICT-mediated education delivery, and is delighted at the prospect of holding the event in a region where technology uptake cycles and implementation times are highly compressed," said Don Knezek, CEO, ISTE.
The Global Forum on Technology and Innovation in Education will combine two and a half days of intense learning and productive professional networking for delegates and educators across the GCC and beyond, and will explore the increasing role of technology in the educational sector.
Event info: Getex Dubai 2008
- Date: April 2 —5, 2008
- Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Timing: April 2 and 3 (Wednesday and Thursday): 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm
- April 4 and 5 (Friday and Saturday): 3pm to 9pm
FOCUS: Getex — Careers and Training
- Date: April 2-5, 2008
- Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre
This is designed to create a platform for employers and trainers to meet with and recruit national, expatriate and international qualified job seekers eager to exploit the career options available to them. It is a one stop shop for professionals looking for that next step up the career ladder.
FOCUS: Getex — Education, Equipment and Technology
- Date: April 1-3, 2008
- Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Timing: 10am to 6pm
Born out of a market need to keep abreast with the latest developments in learning delivery tools. The expo serves as a meeting point for investors and buyers to parley with equipment and service providers.
