Austria's leading private university Modul has partnered with Dubai Investments to build its new campus on a 25,000 sq ft area at Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC) in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai.

A leading investment conglomerate listed on the Dubai Financial Market, Dubai Investments is setting up the Modul University Vienna through a joint venture with Dach Advisory Group, a specialist in the transfer of cross-border business models between the German-speaking world, Russia/CIS and the Middle East.

The university is backed by 100-plus years’ legacy of Modul College’s excellence in tourism and hospitality education worldwide. The Dubai campus will be fully operational by September next year with admissions commencing in the first quarter.

Under this arrangement, Dubai Investment will have a 90 per cent stake in the new venture, while the remaining 10 per cent will held by Dach Advisory Group.

A shareholders’ agreement was signed to outline the framework for the new campus in the presence of Khalid Bin Kalban, the managing director and chief executive of Dubai Investments, Walter Ruck, the president of Vienna Chamber of Commerce - owners of Modul University Vienna, Zaid Maleh, the chief executive of Dach Advisory Group, Peter Elsner-Mackay, Austrian Ambassador to the UAE and Mohammed Saeed Al Raqbani, the general manager of Dubai Investments Industries.

On the venture, Bin Kalban said: "Education is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UAE, driven by a growing population and the rising demand for quality education."

"Dubai Investments is committed to play a pivotal role in facilitating the knowledge-sharing; and bringing the prestigious Modul University to Dubai is a step in the direction amidst unprecedented growth opportunities on offer in the UAE education sector," he stated.

Only two per cent of institutions in the UAE offer courses in tourism and hospitality, whereas this sector alone employs over 530,000 professionals in the country, said Bin Kalban.

"With the tourism and hospitality sector forecast to grow nine per cent year-on-year and government’s increased emphasis on boosting tourism avenues, we feel Modul University Dubai is the right fit in the UAE market, with its strong legacy in the tourism and hospitality education worldwide," he added.

Ruck said the university enjoys a sterling international reputation for its standards and the reputed Austrian know-how in education.

"The comprehensive academic curriculum, particularly in the tourism and hospitality sector, will prepare students in the UAE and the GCC for the competitive world. We are happy to join hands with Dubai Investments and Dach Advisory in achieving this," he added.

The Dubai campus will offer undergraduate, graduate and MBA degree programmes, including BBA and MBA in hospitality and tourism management, Bachelor of Science degree in international management, MBA in New Media management and Masters of Science degree in Sustainable Development Management, offered by Tourism College Modul.

Short-term vocational courses, spanning six months to one year duration, will also be offered for hospitality professionals in the UAE.

The courses are accredited by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, the educational quality assurance and regulatory authority of Dubai Government, and licensed by the University Quality Assurance International Board.

All certificates will be issued by Modul University Vienna and also accredited by the relevant authorities in Austria.-TradeArabia News Service