At the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), we have always been more than just an educational institution; we are a cornerstone of the UAE’s national vision. Established in 1988, HCT is now the nation’s largest applied higher education provider, serving approximately 30,000 students and staff across 16 campuses. Our mission is clear: to prepare Emirati students for the modern workforce through technology-driven, industry-aligned programs.
But to prepare our students for a digital future, we first had to modernize our own.
The challenge of national scale
Nearly four decades of institutional growth brings significant operational complexity. Over time, information dispersed across multiple systems made it difficult to establish a single “source of truth.”
Manual processes—such as certificate issuance and enrollment—often took two to three weeks, creating friction for our students and a heavy administrative burden for our staff. Furthermore, the UAE government’s “Zero Bureaucracy” mandate required public-sector institutions like ours to eliminate non-value-adding processes and accelerate automation.
When I joined HCT as the Head of Digital, Technology & Innovation, my mandate was simple yet profound: connect the dots. Our leadership’s vision goes beyond mere digitization; it is about ensuring technology delivers real value across the entire student lifecycle.
From vendor to strategic advisor
HCT has shared a relationship with OpenText for over six years, but as we looked toward our 2030 Vision, that relationship needed to evolve. We transitioned from a traditional vendor engagement into a strategic advisory partnership.
As I often say, “It’s no longer a vendor-client relationship, it’s an advisor relationship”.
We chose to migrate OpenText™ Documentum™ Content Management (CM) to the OpenText Cloud. We selected OpenText because of their proven track record in highly regulated sectors—from nuclear to oil and gas, and of course, higher education. This deep expertise made them the natural partner for a federal institution with high aspirations for early technology adoption. This deep expertise made them the natural partner for a federal institution with high aspirations for early technology adoption.
Throughout this journey, OpenText Professional Services worked with us as true partners. They understood our regulatory responsibilities and helped us move to the cloud in a way that was both structured and future-ready.
Delivering “Zero Bureaucracy”
By unifying our document management in the cloud, we are fundamentally changing how HCT operates. We are identifying use cases to eliminate inefficient, manual workflows. For example, by streamlining our faculty management system from “hire to retire,” we are enabling our educators—the backbone of our university—to shed administrative burdens and focus on teaching and mentoring.
The results for our students have been even more radical. Key requests that once took weeks are now processed in 24 to 48 hours. By “simplifying the kitchen” for our staff and students, we are ensuring that information is secure, compliant, and instantly accessible to those who need it.
A foundation for the future
This digital foundation is now allowing us to explore the next frontier: AI. We have established an internal AI Center of Excellence to explore high-value use cases, such as AI-enabled student journey insights and performance-based interventions. By taking a measured approach focused on data quality and governance, we are ensuring our long-term roadmap—including the exploration of OpenText™ Aviator—delivers real ROI.
Digital transformation is not about technology for its own sake. It is about enriching our community. What’s better than working on an institution focused on enriching its students, the community, and the economy?
By breaking down complexity into achievable wins, we are building a resilient, future-ready HCT aligned with the UAE’s bold vision for 2030.
Want to learn more about our transformation journey? Read the full case study to see how our strategic partnership with OpenText Professional Services helped us deliver on Zero Bureaucracy and build a future-ready foundation for HCT.
