octor? Lawyer? Teacher? Computer Programmer? Business success story? Whatever a young person's dreams and plans for the future, the opportunities are right here in the Emirates. In fact the scope for higher and further education has never looked better.

It is almost 20 years since the UAE University was established in Al Ain. Since 1977, the institution has grown into one that can genuinely rival its rivals anywhere in the world.

Over 13,000 students attend the University in total; around 3,000 men and the remainder, women.

The eight faculties within the University, cover subjects such as the Arts, Education, Cultural studies, Science, Engineering, Sharia Law, Health sciences and Medicine, Economic and Administrative Science and Agriculture.

"All the subjects are treated as equally important by the staff at the University," explains Mahmood Abdullah, manager of the admissions and Registration Department, "But there is more competition among the students for particular courses." All of the University's students are expected to achieve 60 per cent in their Secondary School Certificate in order to gain a place. Being so highly sought after, Medicine and engineering=led subjects require an achievement as much as 80 per cent. The Economics subjects are also popular, with at least 75 per cent set as general expectation for admission into the facility.

Most of the students in Al Ain are UAE nationals, although a tenth are from other GCC countries, the rest of the Arab world and even Africa and Europe. The language of classes is mostly Arabic, although in Science almost half of the course is taught in English and Medicine is totally English based.

The young people who begin attendance at the UAE University are generally aged between 17 and 18 - old enough for Higher Education, but perhaps in their parents' eyes still in need of support from home.

"Our students have the advantage of an internationally-recognised standard of education, but they are unable to stay in their own country," explains Abdullah. "The teaching practise is often brought in from other parts of the world, so that the benefits of home life; a known culture and friends and relatives nearby, are still close at hand."

After they graduate, some of Al Ain's students do travel abroad for post graduate study or work, but many stay in the country and use their newly-learned talents here.

Of course, further education is not only about academic subjects. There are plenty of high flyers with more vocational thoughts in their heads. At the Aviation College in Dubai, there is a plethora of air travel related courses to choose from, as well as business, management and engineering qualifications.

The College was founded in 1991, under the auspices of the Department of Civil Aviation and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

"On the Aviation side, we run programmes on everything from air traffic control to flight operations and meteorology - and most things along the way," says Kimberley Baxter, from the College Sales and Marketing Department.

"There are plenty of choices; students who want to be commercial pilots can attend our ground school for their American Federal Aviation Authority license before going on to flying school in the United States; we also train people to be Air Nautical Information Officers as well as offering management studies and business qualifications."

" Each year, the Aviation College trains around 270 students, of around 20 nationalities, who come from all over the world, but it estimates that around half of those attending are from the United Arab Emirates. Advertisements for courses are placed in newspapers and magazines in the Gulf and further afield to attract candidates, but increasingly (in the light of successful results) the College is finding its reputation is being spread by word of mouth by former students. "The courses can last anything from two weeks to two years, depending on the type of qualification and where the student is in their career," explains Baxter. "Many people are interested in the Commercial Pilots License training that we offer - that takes between seven and nine months." Most of the students are men, but We College has trained two female pilots two women also took the aerospace course.

Often corporate clients sponsor their employees as students at the college, so that many attending are already in the industry. In some cases the College provides career development training. For example, an air traffic controller may already be skilled in area radar, but he or she can be trained for work in approach radar or aerodrome control. Civil aviation authorities from throughout the Gulf, including those in Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai's own DCA, send their staff to be trained at the College. Other courses, like the Dangerous Goods programme are targeted at the employees of say, cargo carriers.

Many of the College's students have both feet planted firmly on the ground; you do not have to study aviation to attend the Aviation College. It also offers business and management courses, at the same level as Further Education colleges in the United Kingdom. Take the Tourism and Leisure programme for example. A British General National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) covers among other things, travel, geography, finance, marketing, and the German language, as well as healthy dose of work experience.

This course, like others at the Aviation College provides a springboard to what the student eventually wants to achieve and where he or she is ultimately aiming to be.

The same thing can be said of the Higher Colleges of Technology. There are eight HCT campus grounds in the UAE; one each for men, and women in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah. In total they cater for 6,500 students and the four year, English language programmes are an alternative to a University education.

The system is a federal one, established in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in 1988, and it has been success from the beginning.

"I have worked in education all over the world and I can safely say our standards are on par with the best the world has to offer," says Dr. Howard Reed, director of the Dubai Women's College. "I am committed to quality and have a strong belief in what the HCT system achieves."

At the Dubai Women's College in Deira, pupils are instructed in everything from business administration to health science and communications technology. A lot of emphasis is placed on computing, an understanding of which is seen by the College as essential for the future work force of the country.

Dubai Women's College is always keen to give its students a taste of what they can expect from the field they have chosen. It arranges, links and visits with those already in the industry, for example the Department of Health takes an interest in health science students and those training in the media are invited to visit Dubai Television and Radio.

"In just a few years the success of the College has been staggering," Reed says proudly. "The first graduating class contained 15 people; this year 100 women were awarded their qualifications. In fact the number of staff we now employ is the same as the number of students we admitted five years ago. That really says something about how the place has taken off." Reed puts part of the success down to the women and their families feeling good about attending the College. "And now that feeling of pride has been transferred to the companies who employ our graduates. It is always satisfying to receive good feedback - and makes it all worthwhile."

After their training, many of the graduates go into government service including the Economic Department and the Municipality, but the College is also keen for them to work in the private sector, and former students are now working in a range of companies, including some of the major banks. In fact some of the students are even coming back to work at the College - and to spread the HCT message to the next generation.

"Of course, the experience of employment elsewhere is valuable," says Reed, "But in the long term there may come a time when our best source of teachers and subject specialists will be our own graduates. That will be a very proud day."