Author Archives: Aftaw Abdulla

A Delegation of the Erbil Polytechnic University visited the United Kingdom to participate in an activity and hold several meetings with governmental and academic institutions.

The delegation consisted of the Rector Representative Dr. Talib Muhammed Sharif, Dr. Selar Othman the Representative of the Imperial English College-UK in the Erbil Polytechnic University, Ms. Hero Saed Muhammed Nuri, and Ms. Zhilia. On Sunday, the 9^th of June, 2023, they attended a six-day scientific conference entitled “Teaching English in a Digital Word” organized by Imperial English/UK and Aston University in Birmingham.

The delegation’s visit and participation in the conference is a part of the collaboration between our university and Imperial English/in the field of English and academic language. On the sidelines of the conference, the EPU delegation and the Head of Imperial English/UK held a meeting and discussed the joint projects between the two sides, especially the reform of English programs in colleges and institutes affiliated to our university. The Imperial English/UK expressed their full cooperation to further promote their collaboration with the EPU.

Our university delegation also visited the Mayor of Birmingham and they presented a gift to the Mayor. In a speech, our university delegation spoke about the progress and peaceful coexistence in our region and said that as Kurdistan fought against ISIS terrorists instead of the world, more work should be done to assist the region in all areas, especially working on the friendship between the Erbil City and Birmingham.

The delegation also visited the University of Coventry and within the academic relationship they discussed the collaboration and joint work in carrying out joint projects between students from both sides in the fields of automotive and engineering.

During their stay in the UK, our university delegation visited the University of Cambridge to build relationship and sign future memorandum of understanding.

On Thursday, the 13^th of July, 2023, Prof. Dr. Edrees Muhamad Tahir Harki, the Rector of the Erbil Polytechnic University and the President of the Iraqi Branch of Toyota Japanese Company signed a memorandum of understanding.

In the ceremony, the Rector delivered a speech and said: “Such similar memoranda between the university and the private sector does not exist, but we as the Erbil Polytechnic University is the first university in the Middle East to find jobs directly for our graduates. And such memoranda of understanding are beneficial to both sides because our graduates get jobs and companies benefit from their talents.”

Then, the President of Toyota/Iraqi Branch said: “We have a concept of cooperating and participating in the development of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and the purpose of such projects is to help in providing job opportunities for university graduates. We want to be the pioneer of all Japanese companies in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”

Finally, the Rector invited the company to become a leader in the job seeking program that the Erbil Polytechnic University is currently working on. As a university, we want to ensure that our graduates do not think about government employment and get job opportunities in the private sector.

It is worth mentioning that the delegation of our university consisted of the Dean of the Erbil Technology College, the Head of Automotive Technical Department of the Erbil Technology College, the Directors of the International Relations Office, the Career Development Center and the Relations Coordinator between the university and the company.

The Memorandum of Understanding content between the Erbil Polytechnic University and the Toyota Company/Iraq:

• Providing some of the practical training requirements by the company.
• Training the teachers of automotive technical department in the Erbil Technology College in several technical fields of automotive.
• Providing internship opportunities for second year diploma students and third year bachelor’s students on an annual basis.
• Giving the information of the Automotive Department graduates to Toyota Company-Iraq to consider them for employment opportunities in the company according to the company’s procedures.
• Delivering e-training in the automotive technology field for the automotive department lecturers to be exclusive to the teachers of the department.

Prof. Dr. Edrees Muhamad Tahir Harki the Rector of the Erbil Polytechnic University participated in the fourth meeting of the Committee for the Development of Technical and Vocational Education held in Baghdad, Iraq.

In a meeting where the president of the Duhok Polytechnic University, the Sulaymaniya University and other polytechnic universities in Iraq participated they discussed the steps to develop and promote technical and vocational education in order to create job opportunities for young people.

In the meeting, which was supported by UNESCO and the European Union Representation in Iraq, the common views of Kurdistan polytechnic universities were presented by the Rector of the Duhok Polytechnic University, Prof. Dr. Ari Adel. She emphasized on the necessity to support polytechnic universities especially in the pedagogy course specialized for Technical colleges and institutes in the field of technical and vocational education, as well as paying attention to tourism departments in technical colleges and institutes in order to promote the tourism sector in general and in the Kurdistan Region in particular.

The Kurdistan Regional Government delegation also discussed the program and presented their comments on the shortcomings of the program and also presented several points to further strengthen the future plan of the program.

A number of Iraqi newspapers have reported that a group of students of the Erbil Polytechnic University have been sent to the Nizwa University in Oman for the summer training.

On Thursday, the 6^th of July, 2023 in the presence of Prof. Dr. Edrees Muhamad Tahir Harki, the Rector of the Erbil Polytechnic University, the  Directorate of International Relations Office organized a farewell ceremony for a group of students who will visit Oman for summer internship at the Nizwa University within the framework of student exchange program between the Erbil Polytechnic University and member universities of the Arab Universities Union are going to visit Oman for summer internships at the Nizwa University.

The news of sending those students to the Nizwa University in Oman received special attention in some Iraqi newspapers and magazines.

The website of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Al-Takhi published a report entitled “Several students of the Erbil Polytechnic University will conduct summer internship at the Nizwa University”. They pointed out the importance of relations between the Erbil Polytechnic University and universities around the world and described sending this group of students to Oman as an important step.

Meanwhile, the newspaper (Kul Al-Akhbar) in its issue 3233 published on the 12^th of July, reported the sending of our university students to the Nizwa University in Oman.

Also, the newspaper (Al-Bina Al-Jadeedah), which is an independent and impartial newspaper published in Baghdad, in its issue 4152 published on the 12th July, highlighted the steps of the Erbil Polytechnic University towards progress and its relations with other universities. And mentioned the sending a number of university students to summer internships at one of Oman’s most prestigious universities for the efforts of the university’s president and staff.

And also, in Al-Sayad, which is an independent political newspaper, in its issue 724 on the 12^th July and Al-Sabah al-Jadeed in its issue 5172 on Wednesday, the 12^th of July, like other newspapers, reported the sending of a group of students of the Erbil Polytechnic University. Similarly, other newspapers have published the news of sending a number of students of the Erbil Polytechnic University to one of the universities in Poland.

Previously, a group of students from the Erbil Polytechnic University went to the Lodz University in Poland as part of students exchange program between the university members of the Arab Universities Union.