From e-sports to AI: UAE schools embrace vocational courses for careers of the future

BTECs have surged in popularity in recent years as more pupils look for hands-on learning

Bloom World Academy in Dubai will be launching an Artificial Intelligence BTEC in the UAE for all pupils aged 14 and above in August.

Schools in the UAE are increasing the number of non-academic routes available to pupils to prepare them for a rapidly-evolving world of work.

Bloom World Academy in Dubai will be introducing an Artificial Intelligence BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) course in the UAE for all pupils aged 14 and above in the new term, while pupils at Abu Dhabi's British School Al Khubairat will be able to pursue BTECs in hospitality or e-sports from August.

BTECs are specialist work-related school-leaving qualifications from the Business and Technology Education Council. These courses ensure pupils get practical hands-on experience, and do not assess pupils on the typical model of final exams.

Mebs Choudhury, BTEC coordinator at The British School Al Khubairat said the school would be launching a BTEC in hospitality and one in e-sports in August.

“We will be offering a BTEC in hospitality in September as it's an area pupils are interested in because we're in the Middle East and the hospitality industry here is huge,” said Mr Choudhury.

“One of the things we're looking at doing when pupils come in on the BTEC hospitality course, they're not going to just come to school and learn, but we're also going to organise work placements for them in the hospitality industry.

“The thing about vocational education is it’s about actually building an experience for the pupils. It's not just about sitting in a classroom just learning theory, but actually applying that theory to the real world.”

Pupils at the school will be able to go to hotels and other leisure or hospitality businesses like restaurants and cafes to gain work experience.

“We're going to actually make sure that's part of the course, we're going to bring in business owners from the hospitality industry to hold talks for them and help them run certain projects,” he said.

Globally, the hospitality sector is facing a talent shortage as more and more people opt for remote jobs.

The UAE hospitality market alone is estimated to be worth $7.37 billion this year and expected to reach $9.46 billion by 2029, according to Mordor Intelligence, reported The National recently.

An e-sporting chance

The British School Al Khubairat will also launch a BTEC in e-sports in August, which will focus on the gaming industry. The school is constructing a gaming room for this purpose.

“There are more and more careers in gaming out there in the future. What we need to do is to prepare our learners for all these industries,” said Mr Choudhury.

“Our pupils, they want to be gamers, they want to maybe work in the sports industry … so providing that option for them means that they've got something to study towards what they're trying to achieve.”

A BTEC course is assessed through projects and work-related tasks and is not exam-based.

The school is also considering launching a BTEC in robotics, possibly in September 2025.

He said initially parents had resisted BTECs as they were worried about whether universities would accept the qualification. Hundreds of universities accept these qualifications, while some require these in combination with A-levels.

Mr Choudhury said BTECs had surged in popularity in recent years. When the school started offering the qualification in 2016, the cohort was only four-people-strong. This year it had 70 pupils studying across three subjects, with 6 pupils graduating with the BTEC Specialist Award in AI.

This year, they launched a supplementary BTEC course in artificial intelligence.

Artificial Inteligence (AI) is one area in which schools are training pupils to ensure they are future-ready.

Bloom World Academy will launch a BTEC in Artificial Intelligence in the new academic year and this will be a mandatory part of the curriculum for senior pupils.

John Bell, principal at Bloom World Academy in Dubai, said: “In an era where AI is rapidly transforming every aspect of our lives, it is crucial that we equip our students with the knowledge and skills to not only use these technologies but also to innovate and lead in their respective fields.

“I think AI has crept up in education and I think it's fundamental that we actually teach AI.

“AI is here to stay and pupils need to understand what goes on behind it. They need to understand when not to use it.

“I think we have a responsibility as educators to make sure children understand it and use it appropriately.”

The BTEC course aims to equip pupils with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in AI, covering topics from ethical considerations to machine learning and real-world applications in various industries.

The programme will be integrated with the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.

Pupils will learn about the ethics and honesty around AI while also learning programming.

The school is also offering BTECs in other areas such as business or one in sports and leisure.

“We're offering these because they're accessible to all pupils,” said Mr Bell.

“It combines those vocational skills that you need along with the theory of the subjects.

“They're university-friendly … if you do well, the university still look at these qualifications. They're definitely useful for life because children learn vocational skills.”

In a BTEC in sports and leisure, pupils learn about sports and study the physiology of the body, but also learn about working in the sport and leisure industry or the skills needed to become a sports coach or to work in a hotel.