Ghedex unveils sea of opportunities - The 10th edition of Ghedex, Oman’s international higher education expo opened yesterday at Oman International Exhibition Centre.

Times of Oman 9/4/2009

The 10th edition of Ghedex, Oman’s international higher education expo, presenting an excellent platform for Omani students to check out a range of education options in Oman and abroad opened yesterday at Oman International Exhibition Centre under the auspices of Mohammed bin Ali bin Nasser Al Alawi, minister of legal affairs.

The exhibition is also for students, parents, teachers, working professionals, education counsellors, higher education policymakers, researchers and officials from universities and agencies.

The three-day Ghedex expo is the flagship event of Schoolex and Edutech along with Trainex and Jobex.

Arabia’s first and only UFI-approved event of international stature in Oman, Ghedex is the biggest and most significant academic event, which provides parents and students a unique opportunity to meet face-toface with the representatives of some of the highly-reputed colleges and universities in and outside Oman. Ghedex fosters exchange and cooperation among higher education institutions and policymakers.

“This exhibition is a good opportunity to be acquainted with recent developments of the educational systems in the international universities and compare them to our educational institutions so that we can improve the internal operations in our educational institutions accordingly,” said Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Sarmi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Higher Education in a statement.

Large participation

Around 110 institutions including firms are participating in the exhibition. Participating colleges and universities at this year’s Ghedex represent 17 countries (excluding Oman), including the UK, UAE, Canada, Cyprus, Netherlands, Switzerland, New Zealand, Malaysia, Turkey, USA, Qatar, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Germany, Ireland and Australia.

“We are happy with the response to the exhibition though it is lesser than last year since we had 150 institutions. In spite of the recession we are glad that the number of countries participating as increased from 15 to 17,” said Sadiq Ahmed Khan, director, sales and marketing at OITE.

“Though the response is lesser we have got positive vibes. So if universities enrol good students, they would pass the word and more universities will come next year,” he added. Saying that education is important in difficult times too, “During time of recession people are looking at doing an MBA either they fear that they will lose their jobs or because they have better prospects to move on the when the economic crisis dies down,” Sadiq said.

Last year the exhibition received 15,000 visitors.

“We are not looking at increasing the number of visitors but we are sure to register the same number of visitors who include higher secondary school leavers, parents, young professional who are looking at carreer progression, said Sadiq.

Dr Chris Phillips from the University of Newcastle, UK, said: “My university is back participating in the event because we got a good response last year. It is ensures visibility.”

Yet another institute from the UK, the University of Hull, has been participating in Ghedex since the first edition of the exhibition.

“We love to support it every year. It is great occasion for Omani students and scholars to come and find out about education in the world,” said Perihan Cousins, international recruitment manager, University of Hull.

Stating that the exhibition is an excellent platform to engage with universities, she said: “Many of the students who eventually apply and actually did come have started off by meeting us in Oman at this exhibition. “It offers a chance for them to find out the structure of education and what is suited for them,” said Cousins, whose university offers 400 combination of undergraduate programmes.

Mohd Faizal Nordin of Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University, says: “Oman is good market and we have always got response from students here.”

According to Sadiq, one of the most positive aspects is the response to the Jobex. Jobex is a platform that promotes a wide range of employment and Omanisation opportunities.

Hiring

“At a time when companies around the world are firing, firms in Oman are still hiring. So at the Jobex we have opportunities for Omanis who want to enhance their career opportunities. Companies are offering jobs at entry level as well as higher level. The fact that companies have taken up space to recruit indicates that companies are not effected by market conditions,” says Sadiq.

Salim Al Riyami, manager, HR planning, planning and studies, Omanisation, Galfar SAOG credits this statement.

“We are recruiting Omanis for top project manager posts down to labour category drivers and helpers. This is good platform. Last year we have recruited 100 persons in different departments at various levels too. We always get the right candidates here,” Salim said.

Oman Air has stalls for both Trainex and Jobex.

“We are launching France and Frankfurt sectors and there is a need for new recruits across all levels,” informed an Oman Air official.

An official of Oman Air representing the Trainex stall said: “We do a wide range of aviation training. We participated last year and got a good response. That is why we are back again.

Ghedex is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Higher Education, Unesco, the British Council and AmidEast – America-MidEast Educational & Training Services.