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His Excellency Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi, Vice Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University, signed a cooperative agreement with the British Council for the accreditation of the Center for Continuing Education at UAEU to hold IELTS tests, starting in July, 2015. The aim of this agreement is to provide both students from UAEU and from other institutions with a convenient test center on campus in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.

The agreement was signed in the administrative building in Al Ain. His Excellency Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi represented UAEU, while Mr. Marc Jessel, Country Director for the UAE, represented the British Council.

Dr. Al Noaimi said that the role of the university is to share knowledge and skills with the community. This role is evident in UAEU’s mission and strategic objectives, where the university aims to provide services of quality, efficiency and excellence not only to students but to the wider community. The Continuing Education Center is one of the most important aspects of this mission as it offers training courses designed to hone the skills and abilities of individuals, especially in the field of language learning.

Dr. Al Noaimi added that cooperation with the British Council, one of the most important global institutions concerned with teaching English language, is an important move (especially where IELTS is concerned) for the university. This agreement gives the Continuing Education Center an increased international reputation.

Mr. Marc Jessel, the UAE Country Director for the British Council, praised UAEU’s role. He said that, “the British Council is honored to have signed this partnership with UAEU. It will provide the university’s students and the wider community with an internationally recognized and accepted IELTS qualification. This partnership represents our continued commitment to supporting the leading higher education institutions in the UAE, by providing qualifications that recognize the ability to communicate in English. This is becoming an increasingly valuable 21^st century skill that is sought by more and more international employers.”

He further added, “IELTS is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration, with over two million tests taken in the last year alone.”