As the global economy evolves, so do business education systems throughout the world’s positions and services. Today’s executives and professionals across various fields require distinctive talents such as the capacity to negotiate, persuade, and transform, as well as the ability to balance creative and commercial components. Business schools have played an important role in instilling these skills among students and advancing their careers. Westford University College, one of the leading accredited business schools in the UAE, aims to develop future business leaders by actively embracing the continual dynamic changes around the globe.
Westford University College was established in 2009 as the Westford School of Management and had only 3 Personnel’s and one program from the Pearson, UK. Over time, new courses were introduced,and the institution rebranded itself to be called the Westford University College (WUC). The institute is the vision of the founders, who are educational aficionados with a business mindset. They were aware and responded to the shortcomings in the Middle East education services. As part of the founding philosophy, they believed in providing graduates with experiences and opportunities that would prepare them for employment in the corporate sector. Thus, it focused on executive education and developed a curriculum unlike any other institute in the region. “It seeks to be student-centred, providing a comprehensive picture of the corporate sector, its working environment, and the community in which it operates. Furthermore, it preserves a multicultural learning atmosphere as students worldwide enroll here to advance their careers,” shares Hanil Das, the Executive Director – Business Head at Westford University College.
The institute provides opportunities and initiatives that are shared with not only UAE students but also their Indian counterparts. They are offered the chance to be one with the blended pedagogy that Westford University College implies. Learners develop a sense of ethos around them and are exposed to varied walks of life which helps them comprehend customs and practices through the mix of cultures coming together. They also offer students the choice of studying in the UK for one of the course semesters and/or attending their graduation ceremonies in UK.
Popular Academia
In recent years, WUC has seen a rise in applications in courses related to Supply Chain, Logistics, Shipping Management, and Healthcare Management. Both courses are effectively delivered to students with triple certifications and a WES-recognized degree. Apart from the MBA in Supply Chain, Logistics, and Shipping/MBA in Healthcare Management, students can also get a Postgraduate Extended Diploma in a subject of their choice from the Cambridge International Qualifications, UK, and a Certificate of Management Professional from the Chartered Management Institute, UK.
With so many people opting for management courses and the like, WUC had a variety of courses to help students navigate their way towards a future that helps them grow in doing what they love. It offers foundation programs for L3, HND, BABM, MBA, DBA, and other professional courses. The 3-year bachelor courses are a unique blend of qualifications from Liverpool John Moore University, which is ranked in the top 50 universities in the UK, along with certification from Canterbury Christ Church University, the UK, and a Higher National Diploma from one of the most renowned awarding bodies, Pearson.
The triple crown MBA mainly focuses on professional networking and practitioner training, apart from academic qualifications from reputed universities in Spain and the UK, namely, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK, UCAM Spain, CCCU, UK, and Girne American University, Cyprus. The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program that WUC offers is accredited from UCAM, Spain. DBA is one of the highest academic degrees tailor-made for practitioners, paving the way for progress in career paths both as a practitioner and a scholar. They also offer online Leadership & Management Development Program in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles Extension (UCLA Extension) for today’s industry players. The college’s courses were curated to bridge the gap between industry and academia by focusing on being the region’s leading provider of certified industry-relevant skills.
Mastering Inclusion
Westford University College offers up to 80% scholarships to students that excel in academics and extracurricular activities. With a range of opportunities groomed beyond academics that includes an in-house Toastmasters Club and sports and cultural avenues, the college encourages students with a unique talent to be part of the WUC family.
“WUC brings in an international learning experience and organizes international exchange programs and immersion programs. We have students from over 120 countries, and the campus is spread over two beautiful and spacious locations within the city, bringing in the best of both worlds to our students in UAE,” says Hanil. Though they may learn locally in UAE, WUC ensures they have an incredible global experience.
Equipping Students for the future
With students from over 116 countries, Westford University College embraces diversity in a unique way. This diversified component enables learning from people of various backgrounds and upbringings through culturally diverse classroom settings, and social interactions, resulting in greater innovation and collaboration. To maintain this diversity and vibrant student community, Westford makes sure that each country’s respective national and Independence Day are honored through the institute’s communications.
Westford University College provides a holistic environment for students to thrive. With the inculcation of technology, career improvement programs, bridging academic and personal growth, and committing to broader inclusions, the institute helps students have all the tools needed to step into the real world and face challenges. Its faculty members represent varied backgrounds and disciplines along with extensive expertise allowing students to learn and practice a variety of leadership approaches. As a result, students’ academic engagement, personal motivation, cultural involvement and critical thinking improve immediately making them better scholars, thinkers and citizens. Their initiatives, Day with CEO, We Connect, and We Talk, aim to help them create connections with C-Suite Business Leaders, CEO, and professionals to learn about their success stories, cutting-edge ideas, and leadership styles. “We actively participate in Toastmasters International through our Westford Toastmasters club, which was established to help students develop their public speaking and leadership abilities,” Hanil adds. A monthly newsletter, international student trips, soft skills training, career development, and business etiquette workshops, programs on corporate competencies and sports management are all available to students who want to engage and develop their holistic approach to their career or life in general.
The factor that makes Westford stand out is its approach to the whole education system. By focusing on making students future-ready, be it for the corporate world or to venture into start-ups and explore entrepreneurship, the college helps them achieve these goals through different initiatives like the Youth Business Leadership Program, which is exclusively designed to nurture the leadership skills amongst the youth. Similarly, We Connect with business leaders is another such platform where executive leaders of the industry connect with students through an engaging talk. Additionally, Westford also features an Incubator designed to support entrepreneurial mindset of students.
Students Speak
Westford currently has over 2000 students enrolled across their undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The diverse composition of the student body, comprised of people from 116 countries, enables students to learn from people from varied origins and upbringings through culturally diverse classroom and social interactions, resulting in improved innovation and collaboration.
Tarisha Mahesh Sukharani shares, “I am grateful to Westford University College and Cardiff Metropolitan University for assisting me in pursuing my ambition of earning an MBA. After conducting extensive research, I decided to study with Westford, and it has proven to be the finest decision I have made so far. The staff and administration are great in teaching, supporting, or resolving any issues and guiding you academically and non-academically. WUC genuinely cares about its students and their careers. They assure and are committed to ensuring that students reach their goals to the highest possible standard. Choosing Westford to enhance your education is the ideal option.”
“I completed my UCAM – MBA in Supply Chain, Shipping, and Logistics Management from Westford University. I would like to thank all my professors, mentors, management, and Westford’s exceptional support team for assisting me in achieving my goals with the highest grades. I am confident this will propel my career to the next level,” says Dileeban Rajaratnam.
Ariba Abdul opines, “Joining Westford was the finest decision I’ve ever made, and it’s been a fantastic experience. My confidence has grown because of the learning environment, professors, and team members. I can’t wait to see what the future holds at WUC.”
“The time I spent at Westford was enjoyable. It inspired and enriched my scholastic career, allowing me to communicate better, learn more, and emerge stronger. Every class was rewarding, as all the faculty members are supportive, knowledgeable, and patient. With my degree, I believe I will have many opportunities to achieve my professional goals and develop an outstanding career after graduating,” Joash George shares.
Maintaining Resilience
Through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, Westford, like all educational institutions, saw a shift away from lectures to a more engaging environment with online learning equipped with enhanced tools and software. “Strengthening the student community has proved to become the most challenging task business schools face, making it more difficult than ever before,” says Hanil. He adds, “The pandemic came to be an opportunity for many to reskill and upskill. We wish to emphasize our commitment to inclusion for every person without exception, take accountability for the cultures we create, how the leaders we create and think of humanity.”
Westford University College hopes to include more substantive co-curricular programs and expect to be bold and take the initiative towards using new technology to create more accessible, flexible, and personalized modes of education. Distance learning is one concept that the institute has embraced as it is an opted choice of study for international students. “As schools are reopening, we have welcomed our students back on campus happily; however, we still have integrated technology in our teaching methods and offer students a hybrid and blended style of education,” Hanil shares.
For More Info: https://www.mywestford.com/
About Hanil Das, Executive Director – Business Head
Hanil Das is a self-driven and inspired edupreneur, a higher education professional, and a strategist with over ten years of experience in the higher education sector. He is a team leader committed to helping employees develop their abilities and strategies to accomplish greater goals. The visionary behind the actions and programs of the WUC. A comprehensive multi-tasker that thrives in fast-paced environments. Hanil holds an MBA from Bangalore University and a PG Diploma in Strategic Management from RVIM, Bangalore.
He has represented the higher education market for the past eight years and has more than a decade of experience at the senior management level in the banking and education sectors in various capacities. From his early years in the education market, he soon advanced to this most influential and successful role through self-motivation, creativity, powerful management plans, and excellent business tactics. Hanil is head of finance, media, and overall company development at Westford University College. The whole phase of all services, including preparation, organizing, hiring, and implementation, is run and organized by him. In sum, he handles the terminal stage of completing the student admissions to the qualification stage and plays an instrumental role in all phases of business development.