The Higher Colleges of Technology’s suite of Engineering Technology and Science programmes has been awarded international accreditation from the prestigious US-based Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, ABET.

The HCT programmes in the majors of Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering have been accredited, in conjunction with the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission, ETAC.

Engineering is one of the most popular programmes among HCT students, with 6,138 students enrolled in the various majors this year. That total number is made up of 4,015 male and 2,123 female students, and makes up about 26% of HCT’s total student numbers.

Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, HCT Vice Chancellor, said the national and international accreditation of its academic programmes was a vital component of the strategic goals under its five-year 'HCT 2.0' initiative, with the ABET accreditation reflecting HCT’s strategic directions and aspirations and being aligned to Abu Dhabi Vision 2030.

"With the ABET accreditation, HCT students, employers, and the society we serve, can all be confident that our engineering programmes meet the quality standards that produce graduates prepared to enter a global workforce," Dr. Al Shamsi said.

"We are very proud of this key academic achievement, which will build on the history of excellence at the Higher Colleges of Technology," the Vice Chancellor added.

He said that this international accreditation will reflect positively on the students by enhancing their confidence in their programmes of choice. "It will also benefit HCT alumni seeking employment in various UAE institutions, by increasing employment opportunities and boosting HCT’s graduate employment rate to the targeted percentage of 100 per cent by 2021," he said.

He expressed his appreciation for the dedicated efforts of the HCT’s faculty and staff for their keenness to implement these programmes in accordance with international standards.

Dr. Gilbert Linne, HCT Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, said, "Congratulations and please accept my appreciation to all of you who have worked so hard to make this ABET accreditation occur and also to those of you who continue to work very hard to improve the engineering programmes. You should be proud of this important accomplishment."

Dr. Mohammad Al Jarrah, HCT Executive Dean of Engineering Technology, also congratulated faculty and staff for being part of the major achievement.

"We continue to focus on meeting the needs of the local economy and community by producing the next generation of highly skilled and qualified engineers, and at the same time meeting international benchmarks and accreditation standards for our programmes," he said.

Source: WAM