Vocational college capacity grows 19% as intake reaches 2,272

MUSCAT, SEPT 7
The General Directorate of Vocational Colleges at the Ministry of Labour has announced that 89 per cent of its seats for the 2026/2027 academic year have been filled following the first admissions round, congratulating newly accepted students and wishing them success in their academic and professional journeys.
Dr Khalid Ambusaidi, Director-General of Vocational Colleges at the Ministry of Labour, said the colleges achieved a 19-per cent growth in intake capacity for new students this year compared with the previous academic year, across eight vocational colleges spanning engineering, commercial, maritime, water technology, agriculture and other applied fields. He explained that results from the first round of the Unified Admission Centre showed 2,272 seats filled out of total capacity, representing 89 per cent, with remaining seats to be opened for competition among general education diploma graduates in the second round.
“This level of demand confirms the growing awareness of the importance of vocational education and training as one of the key pathways that allows students to acquire specialised and practical skills, and gives them wider opportunities to enter the labour market in line with the needs of various economic sectors and the requirements of the coming period,” Ambusaidi said.
He pointed to continued expansion this year in specialisations directly linked to labour market needs, including engineering and technical fields, commercial and logistics studies and warehouse management, marine sciences, seafood safety and quality, aquaculture, water and wastewater treatment technologies, and plant production technologies, among other specialisations gaining increasing importance amid rapid economic and technological shifts.
“We want to assure our accepted students that securing a place is the beginning of the opportunity, not the end of it,” he said. “The coming stage requires diligence and hard work, commitment to attendance and practical training, and making the most of the facilities, laboratories, workshops and expertise the colleges provide, alongside developing their personal, digital, language, communication and teamwork skills.” Ambusaidi urged students to view vocational education as a genuine pathway to building a promising career, stressing the importance of every student investing in the opportunity before them to develop themselves and refine their skills, and to remain passionate about learning and able to keep pace with developments in their field, strengthening their readiness to move from the educational environment into the workplace with confidence and competence.
On cooperation with the private sector, he said: “We place great importance on strengthening partnership and cooperation with the private sector, as an essential partner in developing the vocational education and training system and improving its alignment with labour market needs.” He added that the Directorate looks forward, in the coming period, to expanding areas of cooperation with private sector institutions and companies, including practical training, field visits and applied projects, contributing to clearer employment pathways for students and strengthening the colleges’ role in preparing qualified national talent.
He concluded: “We renew our congratulations to our accepted students, and wish them every success in their coming journey, affirming that what they achieve will depend largely on the effort, commitment and benefit they draw from this opportunity, hoping to see them in the future as distinguished national professional talents contributing to serving their country and supporting the path of sustainable development.”