Exclusive interviews with heads of some of the UAE’s most celebrated centres of excellence.

Simon Bradbury, Pro Vice-Chancellor International and Dean of Arts, Design and Humanities, De Montfort University

You are the only UK university to be designated by the United Nations as a Global Hub for Sustainable Development Goals. What effect does this have on your students?
Sustainability is a priority for the University, and we have several ways in which students will see this impact. Firstly, we have embedded sustainability into our all areas of our curriculum ensuring that whatever subject they study they will cover the relevant information in relation to particular chosen disciplines and professions. In addition, we have a number of extra-curricular activities students can engage in. In Dubai for example our Sustainability Society is very active and delivering projects on campus and in partnership with students in the UK. There are also some wider opportunities that have emerged for students, for example during the EXPO in Dubai our students presented work on Sustainability at the UK pavilion and recently we took a group of students to the United Nations in New York.

How do you make sure that students graduating from your university are ready and equipped to take on today’s ever-evolving job market?
Firstly, we recognise that world of work is constantly evolving and so in addition to ensuring that students have an understanding of the current knowledge and skills in relation to their discipline area we need to prepare students to have the skills to be flexible and lifelong learners. To enable this, we have just introduced a new curriculum structure to the University which will deliver modules in blocks of 30 credits delivered over a 7-week period. These intense and short bursts of learning enable students to increase the opportunities available to them to develop wider skills including entrepreneurial, wellbeing and life skills. In addition, the breaks between blocks support extracurricular and other activities that facilitate these soft skills which are so important for their future employment.