Rabdan Academy to roll out new programmes, partnerships at ISNR

Rabdan Academy - UAE's first educational institution for world class Vocational education '&' training services to safety, security, defense and emergency preparedness professionals across all sectors - is moving quickly to provide its best offerings through new programs and partnerships. Details of Rabdan's new programs, developed and to be delivered in collaboration with key government and private agencies like the UAE Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior, will be announced during the International Exhibition for Security and National Resilience (ISNR 2014), which will be held in Abu Dhabi on 1-3 April. "Rabdan Academy will use ISNR 2014 as an ideal platform to roll out its new programs and partnerships," says H.E. Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri, Chief Executive Officer of Tawazun. Rabdan Academy was officially established under Law No. 7 for 2013, issued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Under the decree Rabdan is mandated with introduction of common education and training standards in conformity with the qualifications framework in the UAE and with provision of nationally and internationally-recognized qualifications and career paths for individuals involved in safety, security, defense, emergency preparedness and crisis management. The decree also draws a role for Rabdan Academy in satisfying the training and educational needs of multiple agencies under coordination of dual-sector, world-class Academy, which is the first of its kind in the UAE. It also tasks the Academy to achieve economy of scale through common standards and multi-agency training and education. The Academy is currently offering academic programs to over 282 students in various disciplines, including Integrated Emergency Management and Business Continuity Management. All its programs are accredited by the UAE's Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the Ministry of higher Education '&' Scientific Research. According to Saif Al Hajeri, the Academy will pioneer a new approach to education and training, firmly focused on integrated, joint and combined activity between all relevant organizations and will drive the nation's capability ever higher, in concerted, collaborative and cohesive manner. "In line with the vision and directives of our prudent leadership Rabdan Academy is determined to provide a highly efficient cadre of safety, security, defense, emergency preparedness and crisis management professionals, capable of robust, combined, coherent and sustainable prevention and response to crisis achieved through a common national doctrine," adds Al Hajeri. Elaborating on the Academy's approach, Dr. Faisal Obaid Al Ayyan, the Executive Vice President of Rabdan Academy, affirms that the Academy will have a novice and unique method for providing and coordinating education and training at all levels, from one-day short courses through to fully accredited degree programs. "Students, or their employers, will choose to study and train in certain specialized areas, or can, in addition, study a broader range of courses leading to recognition, accredited qualifications. Credits can be accumulated in a flexible manner to suit all career paths and lifestyles," he explains. Qualifications, he goes on, can be gained through a mixture of flexible, yet stringent approach for accumulating Academy credits. This means that beside their regular courses, students can gain credit via different mechanisms, including Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), Accreditation of Prior Experience (APE), and Work-Based Learning (WBL). Dr. Faisal Al Ayyan affirms that the Academy will ensure that all courses and programs are in tandem with highest internationally recognized levels. Rabdan Academy will offer educational and training services from its facilities, located in the Mushrif area of Abu Dhabi. The state-of-the-art facilities will be opened in mid May 2014. The facilities are designed to cater for more than 1,100 students. Rabdan Academy's edge emanates from the fact that it is the only institution that offers multi-agency training in the areas of security, defense, emergency preparedness and crisis management across the entire education and training spectrum, from basic vocational training to post-graduate programs. Dr. Faisal Al Ayyan says on this: "The new programs of Rabdan Academy were carefully designed and developed to serve our vision for providing a future class multi-disciplinary learning environment of choice for safety, security, defense, emergency and crisis management professionals." Key to Rabdan Academy's success are constructive and meaningful partnerships within and outside the UAE. "Realizing that crucial to its success are the meaningful partnerships with national and international partners, Rabdan Academy seeks to forge partnerships with the world-class organizations and to create new standards of professionalism," says Saif Al Hajeri. There are currently national and international partners with whom we work very closely to deliver our mandate of satisfying training and educational needs of multiple-agencies under the coordination of this dual-sector, world-class and one of a kind academy, he continues. Rabdan Academy maintains closer cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Higher education and Scientific Research, National Qualification Authority, the UAE Armed Force and the Interior Ministry, as well as with the leading academic and vocational training institutions in the country. The Academy is also tied with a number of prominent academic institutions in Europe and the United States.