Al Hokair Group's name is synonymous with leisure and entertainment in Saudi Arabia. The Abdul Mohsen Al-Hokair's Institute for Hospitality Management is the only institute in Saudi Arabia that offers Applied Hospitality and Tourism Management courses. Both programs consist of theoretical and practical courses for students, with a commitment to quality. As a result of this, the institute enjoys a high profile amongst training institutions in the Middle East. Recently, Al-Hokair Hospitality Institute announced that it would start offering admission to expatriates, so the institute now offers affordable courses to students of all nationalities. Dr. Mukhtar Khan, Regional Director of Intercontinental Education, spoke to Saudi Gazette about Al-Hokair Hospitality Institute's courses, Intercontinental Education's services and available career opportunities in the Kingdom for both expatriates and Saudis. What is Intercontinental Education and what services does it provide? Intercontinental Education is a consultancy firm that offers student counseling for admissions for higher education institutions around the world. We provide students with information about available options depending on their interests, academic background as well as budget. Our counseling is not restricted to any particular nationality or subject or target country. Intercontinental Education stands out for being the only (local) consultant providing admission counseling for a very large number of universities in several countries. What education opportunities are available here for expatriates? Saudi institutions are now opening their doors to expatriate communities. There was a time when expatriates did not have any option to continue their education in Saudi Arabia. But now we have several options where our children can enroll and complete their higher studies. Some institutes have affordable fee structures. They include: n King Abdulaziz University n Prince Sultan College for Tourism and Business Management n Al-Hokair Institute for Hospitality, Riyadh n King Saud Univeristy (for Masters and PhD), Riyadh n Prince Sultan College of Business studies, Abha n Dammam Community College The institutes below are significantly more expensive: n Batterjee Medical College n Al-Yamama University n Al-Faisal University n Prince Mohammed Bin Fahad University n King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) What does the Al-Hokair institute specialize in and what does it offer to students? The Abdul Mohsen Al-Hokair Higher Institute for Hospitality Management is the only institute in Saudi Arabia offering two such specific courses. As a result of this, the institute enjoys a high reputation amongst training institutions in the Middle East. They offer long- and short-term courses in Front office (three months), Food and Beverage Management (three months), Events Management (three months), Housekeeping Skills Management (three months) and Housekeeping and Hotel Management (six months), plus more than 40 short courses (lasting one month and less). Their students get a chance for practical training in their own chain of hotels, such as the Holiday Inn, Novotel, Hilton, Golden Tulip, Mena and Tulip Inn Hotels etc. Al-Hokair are opening more institutes in other cities in the country and plans are also underway to establish a university for Hospitality and Tourism Management by 2014. They have also forged partnerships with foreign institutions and students can enjoy direct transfers to these universities without attending the foundation year. Details of courses are as follows. Do they offer assistance to students from low-income groups? These courses are not expensive. A six-month course will cost you around SR12,000. What are the requirements for admission? Only a high school certificate. How should expatriates go about planning their education? I would say the first priority is, and should be, to apply to universities in their home countries after completing secondary school here. There are several good colleges in every country that offer quality education in most fields. Our organization can guide students in selecting the best option. Some students can afford the high cost of education in the US, UK, and other Western countries, so they should head there. Our organization can help students choose the best available option for them in these countries and can even secure admission for them. The third option for the students is to go to foreign countries at a lower cost. Students have several great options in this category. The most popular destination these days is Malaysia. The education is of a high quality and at an affordable cost. You can get British, American or Australian degrees while you study in Malaysia because many foreign universities have established campuses there. You also have the option to get transferred to the main campuses. If I have to give you a comparative cost estimate, then in Malaysia you would need approximately SR30,000 per year, which is one third of what you would need in UK, USA or Canada. Another affordable destination offering high quality education is available in China. Now, even Saudi students are going to China in large numbers for higher education. The medium of instruction for non-Chinese students is English and the cost is less than what you need for studying in Malaysia. The last option is higher education in Saudi Arabia. Most private universities offer admission to non-Saudis but they are usually expensive. Government universities have just started offering admission to expatriates and they are much more affordable. Dr. Mukhtar Khan is available for consultation about higher education opportunities at [email protected], (01) 4724513 and 0502164654.
