<span>A college known for producing 20 British prime ministers and educating members of royal families from around the world will launch courses at schools across the UAE this year.</span> <span>EtonX, a subsidiary of Eton College in the UK, will be starting a Future Skills Programme in 20 schools across the GCC this September. </span> <span>Under the programme, pupils will take part in virtual classrooms and work with children from diverse backgrounds to learn soft skills including communication and resilience. </span> <span>Pupils between the ages of 14 and 20 will be able to pick from nine courses such as critical thinking, verbal communication, creative problem-solving, entrepreneurship and CV writing.</span> <span>Eton College is recognised worldwide for producing many of the UK’s leaders, including current Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Notable alumni also include George Orwell and Bear Grylls.</span> <span>Catherine Whitaker, chief executive and head of learning at EtonX, said communication courses were proving most popular locally.</span> <span>“The most popular courses in the UAE are public speaking, making an impact, verbal communication and interview skills,” she said.</span> <span>“In the UAE, there is a growing awareness around the need for skills that supplement and complement academics.</span> <span>“There is a climate in the UAE around thinking about education as more than success in exams and that is coming from the government and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai.</span> <span>EtonX’s seven-week courses aim to prepare children for the challenges of the future and can be adopted into their school curriculum to supplement teaching or used as an after-school activity.</span> <span>Pupils will come together every week in groups of eight and meet in a purpose-built virtual classroom </span><span>with a tutor.</span> <span>The courses will follow a flipped learning method for which pupils must come prepared to speak and engage in the lesson.</span> <span>Gems Education will be among the schools to introduce the new courses this academic year.</span> <span>Pupils will be able to choose from a self-study model, where they will be given study material that they work through on their own, or a taught course. </span> <span>The self-study model costs $59 (Dh217) while the seven-week course taught by a tutor costs $399 (Dh1466).</span> <span>“We have been targeting international schools and are working actively in Hong Kong and in South East Asia,” Ms Whitaker said.</span> <span>Pupils enrolled in the programme will be able to interact with peers from across the globe and learn to work in multicultural teams at an early age. </span> <span>Ms Whitaker said the programme aim to </span><span>prepare pupils for the workforce upon graduation from university.</span> <span>“Technology is changing jobs and industries and if you just focus on technical knowledge that can quickly become outdated.</span> <span>“Students will need to have skills such as collaboration to deal with those changes,” she said.</span> <span>Alan Williamson, chief executive at education provider Taaleem, said, personal tutoring has proven to be more popular among pupils than e-learning in UAE.</span> <span>“Schools in Dubai are innovative and use technology for study support, independent learning and homework.”</span> <span>He said many renowned international brands have tried to establish themselves in the UAE using e-platforms but have struggled to gain traction. </span> <span>“There are a large number of curriculums on offer in the UAE and the challenge for e-learning platforms is how to match their offering to different curriculums.”</span> <span>He said that despite this, the programme would be teaching pupils valuable skills.</span> <span>“It is vital for pupils to learn soft skills as we live in a global society where they will be expected to work across continents, customs and cultures.”</span> <span>He said children can learn independently and collectively using technology but e-learning works best when properly directed and monitored by a teacher who knows the child and understands the gaps in their knowledge.</span>
