- MoHESR and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) partner to enhance the National Scholarship Programme, aligning higher education with UAE’s economic priorities.
- Scholarships for Emirati students in engineering disciplines to be offered at top global universities, with EGA providing career path design, internships, and post-graduation jobs.
- Public-private collaboration to foster local STEM talent, ensuring academic excellence, workforce readiness, and support for the UAE’s knowledge-based economic vision.
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) has released an announcement for strategic partnership with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) in support of the National Scholarship Programme to improve students' educational and career opportunities for Emirati students pursuing priority engineering disciplines.
This collaboration is indicative of both parties' common interest in nurturing local skillsets, aligning higher education outputs with the needs of the labour market, and driving the UAE's long-term economic vision. It is also a new benchmark in public-private sector cooperation to enhance the quality of the National Scholarship Programme.
As part of the deal, MoHESR will provide scholarships to Emirati students studying mechanical and electrical engineering, among other specialisations to be mutually agreed upon with EGA, at some of the world's leading universities. The two partners will collaborate to identify the most appropriate universities and study programmes, assess scholarship applications and select appropriate candidates both new and existing students and tailor the selection criteria to suit the requirements of admission.
The Ministry will fund tuition fees and related allowances, track academic progress of students, and coordinate with foreign educational attachés, especially issues touching on overseas training and employment.
H.E. Ahmad Ibrahim Alsaadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Higher Education Operations Sector and Director of the International Education Support and Scholarships Department at MoHESR, stated: "The partnership with EGA represents an important milestone in establishing integrated academic and career tracks for Emirati students from choosing in-demand specialisations to employment in strategic sectors that fuel the UAE's economic development". Our mission is to provide national talent with high-quality education in priority fields and facilitate their entry into the workforce, enabling them to actively contribute to the realization of the country's objectives".
He said: "We continue to work to strengthen the scholarship programme by making the included academic specialisations more relevant to the requirements of national economic sectors and their corresponding needs. This contributes to creating a culture of specialist jobs, which will help students perform well on the future labour market and thrive in their professional lives".
In turn, EGA will offer on-the-job training, professional services, and post-graduation jobs, as well as assist in designing career paths.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Emirates Global Aluminium Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Empowering UAE National talents is key to the future development of our national economy and industrial base. Our partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is a step in the right direction towards driving academic excellence to address the dynamic workforce". At EGA, our mission is to create future science, technology, engineering and mathematics leaders for their pivotal role in shaping a knowledge-based sustainable economy according to the vision of our wise leadership.
The collaboration also has a joint follow-up mechanism to guarantee smooth post-graduation transitions, with regular feedback from EGA on graduate preparedness and programme areas of improvement.
With the support of its public and private sector partners, MoHESR is constantly improving the National Scholarship Programme as part of its overall strategy to build qualified Emirati talent that can contribute to sustainable national development.
