Rabat — SIST, an associate college of Cardiff Metropolitan University, held its Class 2024 graduation ceremony yesterday, celebrating graduates receiving degrees in Business Management, Software Engineering, as well as MBA programs.
The event honored groups of students for their hard work, and academic accomplishments.
Brimming with great joy, graduates received their certificates, reaping the fruits of late nights, hard work, and challenging projects.
The ceremony captured moments that reflect a perfect blend of celebration and determination, with graduates’ eyes fixed on ambitious career horizons.
In his inaugural speech, Nabeel Obaid, British Education Group Executive at SIST, congratulated graduates of the class of 2024, remarking that “today is the fruition of years of hard work, perseverance, and dedication.”
“You are graduating with honors, an extraordinary achievement that speaks volumes about your resilience and commitment,” he added.
The Class of 2024 is proof that the UK-Morocco educational partnership is reaching new heights, with British education expanding significantly across the North African country.
“The desire for English language education in this country is growing more and more,” said British Ambassador to Morocco, Simon Martin, in his remarks at the event, noting that Morocco now hosts eight British schools, with more planned.
The ambassador particularly spoke of SIST’s partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, which has enabled SIST to deliver British education in Morocco for 22 years now. The institution has campuses in Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier, providing undergraduate and postgraduate programs aligned with British academic standards.
Martin said the graduates are joining “an alumni network which is growing all the time and has got this unique combination of commitment and skill connection to the UK.”
Professor David Brookesbank, who also teaches and serves as vice-chancellor and dean at Cardiff Metropolitan University, recalled the institution’s deep-rooted presence in Morocco through its partnership with SIST.
“We’ve been in partnership now for over 16 years, which is one of the longest transnational education partnerships from the UK,” he told Morocco World News (MWN). This collaboration has produced over 700 graduates across multiple campuses throughout the country.
As the largest provider of higher education in English in Morocco, the partnership’s success is evident in its graduates’ achievements across MBA, Software Engineering, and Business Management programs.
Professor Brookesbank talked to MWN about the broader impact of this collaboration: “The point of the relationship is to spread the British type of education into Morocco, but also foster cultural relations in such a way that our two nations can prosper and thrive more closely together.”
From degree to career
SIST graduates shared heartfelt reflections on their transformative educational journey.
Fatima Zahra El Habibi, who completed her degree in international trade, spoke to MWN about the program’s immediate career impact on her life. “It opened up opportunities right after graduating. In June, I partook in an internship in consultancy and now I am employed with them,” she shared.
She added how SIST’s multicultural environment allowed her to engage with a lot of different cultures, enriching her both academically and socially.
Ziad Abumanneh, a Jordanian MBA graduate, also shared with MWN his joy and pride in achieving this milestone in his educational career. He reflected on his journey, pointing to how SIST’s partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University influenced his choice of institution.
“I chose this for its famous university in Morocco and Cardiff specifically because it's famous also in Wales,” he explained.
As an operations manager at Aramex, he detailed how the MBA honed his professional skills, saying: “It widened my knowledge in many fields like accounting, strategy, management and project management... It helped me a lot to achieve the goals and things that I wanted at work.”
Beyond Morocco-UK educational ties
Speaking at the ceremony, UK’s Ambassador to Morocco also reflected on the longstanding official ties between the two kingdoms, speaking of the North African country’s deep connections with his country and its influence on European civilization.
He shared fascinating history about Morocco-UK relations that extend back to the early 13th century. He spoke of an intriguing interaction between Almohad Sultan Muhammad al-Nasir and King John that, according to one interpretation, indirectly influenced the signing of the Magna Carta - a pivotal moment in European democratic history.
“Morocco is directly responsible for the rebirth of European democracy,” he noted with appreciation.
He also referred to Morocco’s ancient engineering prowess, saying that “Some of the Roman legionaries that built Hadrian’s Wall dividing England and Scotland back in the 2nd century AD actually came from Morocco.”
The event honored groups of students for their hard work, and academic accomplishments.
Brimming with great joy, graduates received their certificates, reaping the fruits of late nights, hard work, and challenging projects.
The ceremony captured moments that reflect a perfect blend of celebration and determination, with graduates’ eyes fixed on ambitious career horizons.
In his inaugural speech, Nabeel Obaid, British Education Group Executive at SIST, congratulated graduates of the class of 2024, remarking that “today is the fruition of years of hard work, perseverance, and dedication.”
“You are graduating with honors, an extraordinary achievement that speaks volumes about your resilience and commitment,” he added.
The Class of 2024 is proof that the UK-Morocco educational partnership is reaching new heights, with British education expanding significantly across the North African country.
“The desire for English language education in this country is growing more and more,” said British Ambassador to Morocco, Simon Martin, in his remarks at the event, noting that Morocco now hosts eight British schools, with more planned.
The ambassador particularly spoke of SIST’s partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, which has enabled SIST to deliver British education in Morocco for 22 years now. The institution has campuses in Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier, providing undergraduate and postgraduate programs aligned with British academic standards.
Martin said the graduates are joining “an alumni network which is growing all the time and has got this unique combination of commitment and skill connection to the UK.”
Professor David Brookesbank, who also teaches and serves as vice-chancellor and dean at Cardiff Metropolitan University, recalled the institution’s deep-rooted presence in Morocco through its partnership with SIST.
“We’ve been in partnership now for over 16 years, which is one of the longest transnational education partnerships from the UK,” he told Morocco World News (MWN). This collaboration has produced over 700 graduates across multiple campuses throughout the country.
As the largest provider of higher education in English in Morocco, the partnership’s success is evident in its graduates’ achievements across MBA, Software Engineering, and Business Management programs.
Professor Brookesbank talked to MWN about the broader impact of this collaboration: “The point of the relationship is to spread the British type of education into Morocco, but also foster cultural relations in such a way that our two nations can prosper and thrive more closely together.”
From degree to career
SIST graduates shared heartfelt reflections on their transformative educational journey.
Fatima Zahra El Habibi, who completed her degree in international trade, spoke to MWN about the program’s immediate career impact on her life. “It opened up opportunities right after graduating. In June, I partook in an internship in consultancy and now I am employed with them,” she shared.
She added how SIST’s multicultural environment allowed her to engage with a lot of different cultures, enriching her both academically and socially.
Ziad Abumanneh, a Jordanian MBA graduate, also shared with MWN his joy and pride in achieving this milestone in his educational career. He reflected on his journey, pointing to how SIST’s partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University influenced his choice of institution.
“I chose this for its famous university in Morocco and Cardiff specifically because it's famous also in Wales,” he explained.
As an operations manager at Aramex, he detailed how the MBA honed his professional skills, saying: “It widened my knowledge in many fields like accounting, strategy, management and project management... It helped me a lot to achieve the goals and things that I wanted at work.”
Beyond Morocco-UK educational ties
Speaking at the ceremony, UK’s Ambassador to Morocco also reflected on the longstanding official ties between the two kingdoms, speaking of the North African country’s deep connections with his country and its influence on European civilization.
He shared fascinating history about Morocco-UK relations that extend back to the early 13th century. He spoke of an intriguing interaction between Almohad Sultan Muhammad al-Nasir and King John that, according to one interpretation, indirectly influenced the signing of the Magna Carta - a pivotal moment in European democratic history.
“Morocco is directly responsible for the rebirth of European democracy,” he noted with appreciation.
He also referred to Morocco’s ancient engineering prowess, saying that “Some of the Roman legionaries that built Hadrian’s Wall dividing England and Scotland back in the 2nd century AD actually came from Morocco.”
