In the gulf region, if Dubai is just too glamourous for you, you should try that metropolis’ lowkey and ‘arty’ little brother – Sharjah. Capital of the Emirate of Sharjah, the city sits near the Persian Gulf, wherein the city centre has a rich fusion of culture that is worth discovering too. In the heart of this sprawling city is situated its unique, reputed and inspiring college – the Westford University College.

Westford University College was founded as the Westford School of Management in 2009, with a humble beginning of three employees and one program from Pearson. The institute is the result of a vision of its young founders who were educational enthusiasts, with an entrepreneurial mindset. They identified the gaps in education services in the Middle East and decided to do something about it.

As part of the founding vision, the college believes in providing graduates with experiences and opportunities that will make them ‘corporate ready’. Quite early on, it was identified that the institute’s strength is in providing executive education to professionals looking for career enhancement. Hence, it focused on executive education and developed an educational curriculum that is different from any other institute in the region. It aims to be student-oriented, providing a 360-degree perspective of the business, its working environment, and the community it operates in. Furthermore, it retains a multicultural environment conducive to learning as students from all around the world enrol here for their career advancement.

“Westford is different from the rest mainly because we ensure to go the extra mile to embrace diversity and include the best learning environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure.”

The programs and curriculums are designed to bridge the gap between industry and academia. The aim and objective of the institution have been to provide access to affordable quality higher education for the learners globally and to contribute to the growth of talent. It focuses on being the region’s leading provider of certified industry-relevant skills.

Vision:

To be a global institution that offers affordable quality education to all learning aspirants. They ‘AIM’ to – Aspire, Innovate and Master – the fundamentals of management education, and carve a niche in a variety of disciplines through constant research, experiential learning, and impactful teaching. The institution strongly advocates in intensifying the knowledge contribution by linking the knowledge gained in academia to the industry.

Mission:

Westford firmly believes that people and partnerships make a huge difference to growth. It is key to create and communicate a people’s first culture; being inclusive in attitude as well as behaviour, being respectful of differences, enjoying and delivering work together. They are committed to transforming how individuals, organizations and the society consumes knowledge. The programs at Westford are designed to enhance individuals’ skills and competencies.

The college facilitates a lifelong learning experience to its global community of learners. Westford also provides programs starting from the L3 foundation program, HND, BABM, MBA, DBA, and other professional courses. Having more than 10 years of experience in the education sector, Westford has an edge over the much younger e-Universities and has collaborated with international universities and awarding institutions, to bring together the most valuable blend of career development certifications and opportunities.

The undergraduate aspirants are offered a threeyear bachelor’s program with a unique blend of qualifications from Liverpool John Moore’s University (LJMU) ranked in the top 50 universities in the UK, Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) UK and a higher national diploma from one of the most renowned awarding body- Pearson. The BA (Hons) in Business is awarded by LJMU, UK while BSc (Hons) in Business is awarded by CCCU, UK. The MBA aspirants in 2020 were offered a ‘triple crown MBA’ which focusses on professional networking and practitioner training apart from academic qualifications that come from reputed universities in the UK and Spain, namely Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK), UCAM (Spain), CCCU (UK), and Girne (Kyrenia) American University (Cyprus).

A prestigious addition to WUC’s existing portfolio is the newly launched Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) program from UCAM, Spain. DBA is one of the highest academic degrees tailor-made for practitioners. It paves the way for progress in career paths both as a practitioner as well as a scholar. Westford has also collaborated with University of California, Los Angeles Extension (UCLA Extension) to provide an outstanding online “Leadership and Management Development Program” for the industry players of today. The current success rate of students is at 98.3 percentage, one of the highest in the region.

In the period between 2015-19, the institution was recognized for its excellence in educational delivery and successful teaching pedagogies, resulting in several awards being offered. In 2019, Westford won the Forbes Middle East ‘Higher Education Award’, the MENAA award for ‘Best Corporate Brand’, the Asian Leadership Award for ‘Asia’s Best Emerging Business School’ and the ‘Best Foreign Business College’ in the Middle East in 2017. The illustrious college has also been recognised as the region’s valued e-learning Institute in 2020 by Forbes, touting Westford as the way forward in online executive education.

Campus Life

Westford has an instinctive awareness that an effective campus culture is one of the key factors required for success of any educational institution. Embodying this belief by being inclusive, collaborative, and progressive in our outlook, the college strives to ensure that their students feel included, supported, motivated, and determined to succeed.

Westford is different from the rest mainly because it ensures to go the extra mile to embrace diversity and include the best learning environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Tech and Trends

Westford has its indigenous and innovative ‘learning management system’ that caters to all of its geographically dispersed learners around the globe. Westford’s interactive classrooms are also available as a delivery platform integrated within their very own learning management framework.

Along with the infrastructure and facilities, the learners at Westford have access to a wide range of academic journals, textbooks, and other contemporary and relevant learning materials through e-libraries and other e-learning platforms.

Going Above and Beyond

The Westford University College has steadfast belief in educating learners beyond the classroom and campus, and thus they initiate varied experiences and excursions, to continue to bridge the gap and bring together the industry’s best performers, speakers, and leaders to explore and share their thoughts and ideas, enabling students to gain fresh perspectives and stay up to date with the current business landscape. These leaders also influence learners to understand the need for accountability and the numerous challenges needed for today’s leading executives and how these leaders generate value in their organization.

In addition to academic support, the development of learners’ soft skills is also of prime importance to the faculty.

The members of the faculty serve as mentors, so student interactions at Westford are often meaningful. Westford also has a strong network of alumni who serve as ambassadors and engage in all alumni events.

Making Giant Strides

In the year 2020, Westford took a giant leap of faith and launched the distinguished Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), demonstrating their foresight in the higher education sector.

It is one of the most coveted academic degrees tailored for professionals, entrepreneurs, advisors, and executives, who are oriented towards making a significant contribution in the corporate world.

Graduates from the program are expected to make a key contribution by practical approach, so program work will relate to leadership, change, and process management as well as research methodologies. Learning methods such as experiential learning and in some cases, craft-based learning is used within this curriculum to ensure that learners stay attached to the topic within their business line.

Through their partnerships with reputed universities and awarding bodies in the UK, US, and Europe, the college has launched 13 new specialization programs across undergraduate and postgraduate levels. “Chase your dreams and follow your passion,” a statement Westford deeply resonates with as an institution; it is demonstrated by their 11 years of successful operation and contribution to higher education.

“We encourage everyone to find their inner passion and pursue it with zest and commitment.”

About the Leader

As one of the co-founders of Westford Education Group, and the Executive Director of Westford University College, Hanil Das plays a vital role in all aspects of strategic planning, operations, and business development. Das is of the opinion that an education should equip individuals with application-based skills and competencies, and the western higher education system fulfils that to a great extent.

“I believed this system provides a holistic learning experience for students in today’s time and age. Being in the education industry is not just a profession but also a passion of mine,” said Das, “I find it extremely rewarding and humbling to be able to dedicate to the educational sector.”

“An effective campus culture is one of the key factors required for success of any educational institution.”