Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site, announced that8,000 students to date have registered for its innovative Virtual Education Fair (VEF) from15th to21st November,2009 in conjunction with Dubai International Academic City (DIAC). Building on the tremendous success Bayt.com has enjoyed in its virtual job fairs in markets across the region, the Bayt.com DIAC VEF2009 will provide a unique, fully-interactive online platform for academic and training institutions - the very first of its kind in the region.
The education fair’s virtual format offers significant advantages for both students and educational and training institutions compared to traditional academic fairs. As an online event, it will be ‘open’24/7 and can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection, providing participants with complete confidentiality and the convenience of participating from the comfort of their home or computer lab.
The Bayt.com’ VEF2009 presented in conjunction with education partner, Dubai International Academic City, enjoys strong support from Platinum sponsor, the University of Liverpool, and Silver sponsors Robert Kennedy College, Access MBA, the University of Manchester and the British University in Dubai (BUiD)
DIAC is the world’s only Free Zone dedicated to higher education and serves as a regional base for a number of premier international educational institutions.
Commenting on VEF2009 as a crucial regional milestone in the education and training arena, Akram Assaf - Bayt.com Co Founder and Chief Technical Officer, noted, “The Virtual Education Fair creates a dynamic virtual space where students and educational and training providers can achieve their respective goals and optimise their time and effort. We are very pleased to partner with DIAC on this pioneering initiative that we are confident will change the face of academic recruitment in the Middle East and bring unprecedented opportunity to seekers of learning across the MENA region.”
Confirmed institutional participants to date include, in Platinum booths, Stafford Associates, Potential, Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University, Institute of Management Technology, Dubai, SUKAD and K¹². Gold Booth participants to date include Morgan International and American University of Kuwait. Silver booth participants to date include The University of Wollongong in Dubai, University of Phoenix, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, SHEilds and Emirates College for Advanced Education “With preparations for the Middle East’s first Virtual Education Fair well underway, we are extremely excited by the quality of registrations we are receiving both from prospective students as well as academic and training institutions. As we move closer to the date, we expect more leading academic and training institutions to sign up for participation,” said Dr. Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director of Dubai International Academic City, the region’s leading destination for higher education and a member of TECOM Investments.“The Virtual Education Fair offers an unprecedented opportunity for institutions to take their brand to a new level and recruit top students. The event will also serve as an ideal platform for students to interact with experts and acquire information on avenues of higher education.”
At the VEF2009, students will be able to quickly and conveniently provide their personal details and academic credentials to a variety of top academic and training institutions, fill out paperless application forms, and gather the latest academic information from a virtual ‘resource centre.’ In addition, they will have the opportunity to engage in confidential e-chats with admissions staff, career consultants and other experts who can assist them with career decisions.
Participating educational and training institutions will also enjoy a number of important benefits: a virtual fair provides excellent return-on-investment. No work-time is lost by physically attending or staffing the event, and travel/logistical costs are largely eliminated.
In addition, virtual forums are sophisticated vehicles for brand promotion: The Bayt.com and DIAC VEF2009 will assist in positioning institutions as forward-thinking academic and training leaders with a commitment to innovation. Through the VEF, educational and training providers will also enjoy access to a large pool of motivated candidates, helping them meet registration targets and allowing them to evaluate the success of enrolment strategies.
Through the VEF, Bayt.com and DIAC are demonstrating their commitment to furthering economic growth and talent development in the Middle East.
“By empowering students with academic information and career assistance, we are helping tomorrow’s leaders access training and higher-learning opportunities that will serve as a springboard to future success,” commented Assaf. “In addition, by assisting educational providers to increase admissions and share their unique programs with a broad audience, Bayt.com is nurturing robust academic activity in the region, which in turn can lead to job-creation, scholarships, research and development, and a range of other benefits.”
For further information on The Bayt.com and DIAC Virtual Education Fair2009, or to register, visit https://www.vefme.com.