ABOUT HCT

Founded in 1988, the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) is the UAE’s largest applied higher educational institution, gaining a well-respected reputation for innovative education practices and job-focused experiential learning.

Approximately 23,000 students attend 16 modern, technology-oriented men's and women's campuses throughout the UAE. HCT offers over 70 academic programs in Applied Media, Business, Computer Information Science, Education, Engineering Technology & Science and Health Sciences. These programs are all designed in consultation with business and industry leaders, and incorporate principles of Innovation and Entrepreneurship to ensure HCT students’ skills are up-to-date and to the highest standards.

The HCT courses are a hybrid blend of innovative, technology-driven academic studies and work-relevant programs, ensuring that HCT graduates have the necessary 21st century skills to make positive and lasting contributions to society in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

All HCT students learn in a technologically sophisticated educational environment that encourages the development of independent and life-long learning skills necessary to succeed in a fast-changing world. HCT graduates have developed a reputation throughout the UAE for their technical, work-ready and communications skills and for their adaptability to actual workplace conditions.

Consequently, HCT graduates are eagerly sought by organizations and entities in all sectors of the UAE economy, looking to build their workforce with young Emiratis who are capable of operating effectively in today's global business environment. The HCT has awarded over 72,000 academic credentials to its graduates since 1991. These graduates have gone into the UAE employment market, making significant contributions to the sustainable economic and social development of the country.

HCT is a leader in professional and applied education and training, and new skills and teaching techniques are regularly incorporated into the programs and courses. HCT employees, at the forefront of their subject areas, work closely with students to deliver innovative curriculum in technologically advanced facilities.

The HCT 4.0 strategic plan, which is strongly aligned to the goals of the National Employment Strategy 2031, was launched in March 2019 with the theme of Employability and Beyond, and consists of three pillars - “Technical Leaders”, “No Emirati Left Behind” and “Graduate Companies”. HCT 4.0 will equip UAE’s National workforce with future skills required in the labor market, so as to meet national goals.

The three foundational pillars of the HCT 4.0 strategic plan are:

   1. “Technical Leaders”

The HCT will equip graduates with professional skills and practical training through the implementation of the “Hybrid Education” Model, empowering them to become leaders in their areas of specialization. The HCT has established partnerships with around 22 international certification-awarding bodies in order to enable each graduate to obtain two certificates upon completion of their HCT studies – an academic degree and an international professional certificate. To date, thousands of students have earned international professional certificates while still pursuing their studies at HCT, allowing them to keep pace with the international future skills and increase their employment opportunities.

   2. “No Emirati Left Behind”

The HCT will provide opportunities for every male and female Emirati to join the Higher Colleges of Technology, based on each student’s capabilities and interests, by offering study paths from Diploma qualifications to Bachelor degrees. These are in addition to a professional careers track and the establishment of Sector Skills Academies. Consequently, HCT graduates will acquire new skills that will help them to cope with the changing requirements of the labor market.

   3. “Graduating Companies”

The HCT established its first economic and innovative free zone at the HCT-Dubai Men’s campus, which was inaugurated by HH Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The zone’s name – “InncuVation Space” – is a novel, creative term that is in keeping with the UAE leadership’s vision in support of the national economy. The term encompasses the three concepts of “Innovation”, “Incubate” and “Venture”.

The InncuVation Space will empower HCT graduates and employees to keep pace with accelerating job changes, dictated by the prospective disappearance of 40% of jobs within 15-20 years due to job automation. Under the HCT 4.0 strategic plan, HCT will empower its students to create their own employment opportunities. This required a quantum shift based on the UAE’s 50-year leap, represented in the transition from HCT 2.0, whose aim was to prepare students for jobs of the future, to HCT 4.0 whose aim is to empower students to become opportunity makers.

HCT has been announced as a free zone, under the UAE’s Fifty Year Charter, which stipulates that UAE public and private universities will be announced as free zones enabling students to carry out business and creative activities. In addition, HCT is prominent in its role of promoting applied research opportunities to faculty and students. The HCT has also embraced a global perspective on applied education by establishing the Global Applied Education Network (GAEN), which sees it partner with global educational institutions.