Al-Maktoum College in Dundee has had to adapt to many business challenges over its two decades in the city, at both a national and local level.
Constant visa regulation shifts, a crackdown on “bogus” colleges and limitations on students bringing family to the UK are hurdles faced by most of the country’s learning establishments, especially so for the Blackness Road operation.
But even with this, the institution says it wants to continue punching above its weight and develop links and partnerships it has built between Dundee and the Middle East.
Next week its graduands will be awarded their degrees and qualifications at a ceremony at its Blackness Road campus.
The college has been in Dundee since 2001, offering courses ranging from Islamic finance and Arabic to business management and moral governance and sustainability.
It has degrees affiliated by both Abertay and Dundee universities, and a range of HND and HNC courses accredited by the SQA available too.
It takes its name from its late founding patron, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who was the deputy-ruler and finance minister of Dubai.
He wanted to bring Muslim and Western communities together through education, through the establishment of the Al-Maktoum Foundation.
Al-Maktoum Dundee boasts strong links with the Middle East and offers businesses courses on how to work with partners in the region.
Both the subtle and overt differences in the way European and Middle Eastern business is conducted is taught as part of the college’s expansion beyond traditional academia.
And students are offered the chance to work in leading industries across Scotland as part of their degree-pathway.
Al-Maktoum College Dundee
Dr Abi Abubaker is the vice chancellor and head of Al-Maktoum College in Dundee.
Al-Maktoum has faced hurdles in its 22 years in the city, he notes, which are not unique to the institution.
Constant changes in the way the UK visa system operates have proven a stumbling block.
And attracting prospective students overseas, willing to spend tens-of-thousands of pounds on fees to live and work here during their studies are more likely to chose New Zealand or Canada, he adds.
This is in part due to the points-based entry system and the limitations on bringing family members over.
“If a student has a family and children, they probably do not want to leave them to study alone, which is what is currently happening,” he said.
And an “intimidating” atmosphere following the crackdown on so-called “bogus” colleges meant Al-Maktoum had to “prove” it was not.
Key handover on 9/11
The college’s beginnings were fraught too, adds Dr Abubaker.
“On September 11 2001, we received the keys to the building, and people thought at the time ‘that project is not going anywhere’.
“But 22 years later, we are still here, still growing and making a good impact.
“Around about the time the government introduced the point-based visa system, the atmosphere became intimidating.
“There was a focus on getting rid of so-called ‘bogus colleges’ which put private institutions under the microscope.
“You had to prove you were not a ‘bogus’ college, and it was not like they had evidence to say we were, but we had to prove we were not. And a lot of colleges and institutes suffered.
“Things started to improve, and we refocussed our efforts. The college is also now recognised as an SQA centre, offering a range of courses we design accredited by the SQA.”
College has to remain “agile”
The evolving nature of further education has seen the institute adapt to remain “agile”, Dr Abubaker says, with the college’s small-size and international reach attracting students both locally and from further afield.
And the college works hard, he said, in reflecting Dundee to the world as a city which welcomes people who want to learn.
“Our programmes are open not just to local students, but international ones too. There is a huge appetite for these qualifications in management, business, finance and so on.
“What we can offer is small class sizes, and support for those students who might not feel comfortable in larger class rooms at other, bigger, colleges and universities in the area.
“Our students thrive here, in the small groups with a lot of one-to-one tuition and a lot of students come to Al-Maktoum because of these qualities.”
Dundee as a learning destination
Dr Abubaker continued: “The college promotes Dundee and Scotland as a destination, we are attracting a lot of interest in what we do here. We established the Dundee Centre for Business Excellence, two years ago, to provide training and business development opportunities.
“Through our partnerships with local businesses, our students can take on internships to go and learn with hands-on experience.
“As a private small college of education, we have to be innovative. We can’t compete with the large universities, we have to be niche in what we offer.
“That is why we provide courses in Islamic finance, sustainability, the UK’s first MSc programme in strategic operational learning, alongside Abertay, because no-one else has.”
Gap noticed
And in another first, Dr Abubaker says, in September the college will become the first in the country to offer a post-graduate degree in customer experience and service excellence.
The subject is “increasingly essential” in business, as it addresses “the critical demand for professionals skilled in improving service quality” Dr Abubaker says.
“We have to be innovative, in order to be recognised, otherwise we would be just lost in among the other institutions.
“That is why sometimes we have to revise what we offer, and be innovative in how we structure our business needs, in how we become more agile and responsive to financial challenges.
“It is why we decided to focus beyond academic studies and run training programmes and engage with the business sector, as well as recruiting students.”
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