SPONSORED CONTENT – In golf, Bryson DeChambeau has taken a scientific approach to eke out performance gains that have turned him into a major champion and the most talked about pro on the planet.

In the UAE, the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) has taken a similar disciplined path to help take students from the classroom to legitimate boardroom influencers.

‘The Edge’ is UOWD’s new career readiness program, a UAE first combining scientific assessment, cutting-edge tools and hands-on mentoring to prepare students for future career paths.

MORE: Explore how ‘The Edge’ can change your world today! 

Free for all newly enrolled first-year students, The Edge uses tools from the world of business, coaching, psychometrics and behavioural science over a 12-month programme to boost student employability in an increasingly competitive job landscape.

The mentors involved in The Edge will bring expert knowledge in fields such as communication coaching, entrepreneurship, personal branding, human behaviour and personal objective setting, and assess their aptitude through scientific techniques, including psychometric testing and personality profiling.

UOWD Chief Operating Officer Andy Phillips says employers are looking for candidates who possess skills that go beyond the academic curriculum, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and soft skills. That’s where The Edge comes into its own.

“We are the first university in the region to introduce an innovative career readiness program that transcends the conventional aspects, such as CV preparation, interview techniques and internship placement, to equip its participants with skills and knowledge to navigate the evolving work environment,” Phillips said

“In addition to helping students find their career path, the unique program involves elements of self-discovery, mentorship and behavioural science – all of which are necessary for personal and professional growth. The Edge integrates into the students’ university timetables and requires an investment of only 30 hours from their side.”

The Edge has been embedded into the fabric of each degree at UOWD, and will be delivered over online sessions, on-campus workshops, coaching groups and webinars.

The program consists of four must-have pillars that are headed by six world-class experts: John Gage, behavioural expert and Founder of Agency People; serial entrepreneur Jon Duschinsky; voice, speech and communications coach Ausar Stewart; Nima Abu Wardeh, journalist and broadcaster of BBC World’s Middle East Business Report, and Oliver Blofeld and James Mullan, Managing Partners of Insight Media.

Speaking on the program, Gage said: “I’m very excited to be involved in The Edge – it’s an excellent program that will help this generation to truly fulfil its potential and give students insights about themselves and their professional lives that most people only realise in their 50’s or 60’s.

A key focus of the program is using scientifically recognised tests, such as the Thomas International Personal Profile Analysis to evaluate whether a student’s choice of degree matches their personality, allowing them to know if they’re on the right career path before they graduate.”

“Results from the pilot phase of the program suggest that students have found the reports very insightful and the discussion with the coaches extremely helpful,” said Gage.

The Edge also deep-dives into important themes, such as equality, diversity, inclusion and bias, empowering students to be their own spokespersons and agents of change and to advocate for themselves in today’s modern business environment.

UOWD is committed to making a significant contribution to the local higher education community by equipping its students with valuable knowledge and insights, reflecting the university’s ongoing pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, industry engagement and student experience.

For more information on The Edge, please click here.