Curated educational tours for UAE university students will create once-in-a-lifetime learning experiences at Expo 2020

University students across the UAE will be immersed in the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai thanks to a series of inspiring and educational tours that will offer students the opportunity to make new connections and acquire real-life knowledge.

The Expo University Visit Programme will invite all 140,000 students studying full-time at the UAE’s 120-plus universities to experience specially-curated tours during the six months of Expo 2020, enabling them to connect with peers, industry leaders and global experts.

The initiative was launched this week at the University Leadership Forum, held in Expo 2020’s Opportunity District and attended by more than 80 senior leadership executives from the UAE’s public and private universities. The forum kick-started a series of discussions that will align the programme’s content with the learning objectives of institutions and build awareness and excitement among students and faculty members.

Manal AlBayat, Chief Community Engagement Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Throughout history, World Expos have revealed new inventions, the latest technologies and incredible architecture that have inspired millions of people. The Expo University Visit Programme will ensure that our nation’s talented and ambitious youth are able to take full advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime learning experience.

“With 192 countries in one location, each showing the very best that they have to offer, the educational tours will help fuel students’ curiosities, spark new ideas, encourage new connections, and inspire our youth to become the leaders and change makers of the future.”

The programme, which mirrors the successful Expo School Programme, reflects the breadth of experiences Expo has to offer and focuses on seven areas: Innovation and Technology; Urban Planning and Future Cities; Media and International Studies; Science and Sustainability; Mega-event Planning and Operations; Design, Architecture and Engineering; and Business and Entrepreneurship.

The educational tours will include the opportunity to explore some of the site’s most iconic structures, take part in hands-on workshops, network with peers from around the world, and learn from industry experts behind the event, the largest ever to be held in the Arab world.

The visits are one of several initiatives designed to ensure youth are at the heart of Expo 2020, including apprenticeship and internship programmes and the Expo 2020 Volunteer Programme. UAE University will also have its own pavilion at Expo 2020 centred around its ‘University of the Future’ initiative which aims to revolutionise the provision of tertiary education in the Arab World by 2030.

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the world’s largest meeting of minds, bringing together more than 200 participants, including 192 countries, educational establishments, businesses and multilateral organisations, for a six-month celebration of human brilliance and achievement. The first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, it expects to attract 25 million visits and will run from 20 October 2020 until 10 April 2021.

About Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai will bring together millions of people for The World’s Greatest Show, celebrating human brilliance and achievement under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

•             The six months from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021 will be a moment in time to be part of an unparalleled event. We are extending a warm Emirati welcome to the world:

o             25 million visits are expected, with many visitors expected to come more than once

o             70 per cent of visitors anticipated to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 168-year history of World Expos

•             An entertaining global celebration with something for everyone, Expo 2020 will wow visitors with 60 daily events across 173 days, showcasing the best of music, technology, creativity and culture, while 200 F&B outlets will feature famous chefs and cuisine from every corner of the world

•             Expo 2020 will be an endless journey of discovery. Visitors will have access to the latest innovations and breakthroughs, with more than 200 participants – including 192 nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational institutions – coming together to highlight real-life solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges

•             Expo 2020’s sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability will inspire visitors to make a conscious effort to think and live differently, and give them renewed optimism that, through collaboration, it is possible to make a lasting change to the world

•             The first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) will be located on a 4.38 sqkm site adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South