The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) constitute a federal, independent institution for higher education, established under Federal law no. 2 of 1988 and later reorganized under Federal law no. 17 of 1998. HCT confers degrees at the Bachelor level. The HCT operates as a system of 16 campuses for male and female students in urban and rural locations in five emirates. The headquarters are located in the city of Abu Dhabi.

The HCT is governed by a Board of Trustees, which is chaired by the Chancellor, H.E. Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation. In his role as Chairman of the Board, the Chancellor is the legal representative of the HCT system and is responsible for carrying out the decisions of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is also comprised of other qualified and experienced members from various sectors in the UAE appointed by the Cabinet. 

HCT President and CEO, Dr. Faisal Alayyan is responsible for the management of HCT and the implementation of its regulations and resolutions. In addition, he is responsible for developing a culture of innovation as well as enhancing HCT’s organisational performance.

Cooperative Relationships with Other Organizations

The Global Applied Education Network (GAEN) was established in recognition of the need to create a global platform for the applied education sector to collaboratively address the workforce and employability challenges posed by the fourth industrial revolution. 

GAEN is a first-of-its-kind international network of applied higher education providers focused explicitly on bringing together applied higher education institutions to collaborate on addressing real-world opportunities and challenges in light of the fourth industrial revolution. In particular, the establishment of GAEN has been driven by the following themes:

• Raising the profile of applied education: While a number of research-led university networks are already well established, there is a niche for a similar platform enabling applied education providers to develop a shared voice on the sector and to highlight the unique contribution it makes to the global economy and wider society
• Succeeding in a rapidly changing labour market: New technologies and demographic shifts mean that the future, global workforce is likely to look very different from today. Applied education providers have a duty to ensure their students and life-long learners are equipped to survive and thrive in the future
• Driving a knowledge economy: The creation of a competitive knowledge economy requires the development of capabilities in applied research, innovation and enterprise so to address real issues faced by industry, which must be achieved in close collaboration with employers and industry

Current members of the GAEN are: