Alumni of women's college form association

ABU DHABI // Five thousand graduates of a government higher-education college are being offered help to advance their careers by a newly formed alumni association. Everyone who has completed a diploma, higher diploma or bachelor's degree at Abu Dhabi Women's College (ADWC) is a member of the new association. Graduates will be invited to events, will be able to use the college library and be given assistance in finding jobs.

The association, created by a board of ADWC graduates, is planning a reunion in December. "We need activities so that all graduates can hear about each other and connect to new graduates and try to help them," said Layla al Dhaheri, an association board member. Dr Bradley Cook, the ADWC director, said he wanted current students to have contact with the college's graduates, to give them an idea of what to expect when they entered the world of work.

"We also want both current and former students to feel they are never alone," he said. ADWC was founded in 1988 and is one of the Higher Colleges of Technology, a federal government higher-education institution that has campuses across the UAE. It is open to Emiratis only. The other federal higher-education institutions are Zayed University, which has campuses in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sweihan, and UAE University, in Al Ain.