- Through the ICCA-Foodverse ecosystem, young learners can explore the world of culinary arts hands-on alongside their families
- Reflecting a shared commitment to connecting education to real life, the initiative aims to discover and nurture budding culinary talent and prepare promising young chefs for sustainable careers
Dubai, UAE,September 2026 – GEMS Education has joined forces with the International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai, the UAE’s homegrown world-class culinary education provider, to offer vocational education in culinary arts to its students.
The partnership will provide GEMS’ students and families access to structured courses, live masterclasses, events, and job pathways while developing culinary skills at home and exploring food, culture, creativity, and shared discovery through the ICCA-Foodverse platform – a proactive community, connection and engagement ecosystem where chefs, professionals, enthusiasts, and the industry seamlessly connect, collaborate and find new opportunities.
The ICCA-Foodverse ecosystem will also be supported by ICCA Live, an innovative online broadcast system delivering professional chef-led masterclasses and certification-focused courses.
The partnership aims to identify and nurture culinary talent from an early age, helping students understand their strengths, build confidence and practical capabilities, and prepare for sustainable careers in the food industry. It also reflects the shared commitment of the two partners to build strong foundations for vocational learning from the school years, making education more meaningful, practical, and connected to real life beyond the classroom.
Inspired by GEMS’ Family First movement, the journey will extend beyond the child, engaging families in the experience of the ICCA-Foodverse ecosystem.
Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education, said: “Together with ICCA Dubai, we are pioneering a new approach to vocational learning that bridges education and real-world opportunity while empowering every student to pursue their passions and understand where their talents can take them. Because when we enable young people to find their strengths, we do more than educate – we give them confidence, skills, and, ultimately, the chance to shape their own future.”
Sunjeh Raja, Director & CEO at ICCA Dubai, said: “At ICCA Dubai, we are dedicated to fostering a culture of culinary excellence. We are delighted to team up with GEMS to forge new pathways of potential and possibilities for students from an early age through vocational education. Our partnership aligns with our ongoing efforts to identify and nurture budding culinary talent and prepare promising young chefs for sustainable careers in the UAE and beyond.”
Established in 2005, ICCA has been featured among the Top 10 Culinary Institutes in the World and received the Recognition of Quality Culinary Education from the World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs), a global authority on culinary standards. The multi-award-winning centre offers a wide range of professional, amateur, and artisanal learning programmes in culinary arts.
ICCA aims to build a unique space that brings together culinary professionals, enthusiasts, and industry by combining its legacy and educational excellence in culinary arts with Foodverse’s cutting-edge technology.
Foodverse is the world’s first platform dedicated to harnessing people’s potential in the food industry. It allows users to access structured courses, live masterclasses, job pathways, and events from a single app.
About GEMS Education:
GEMS Education is one of the world’s leading, oldest and largest private K-12 education providers, with a legacy spanning more than 65 years. Founded in the UAE with roots dating back to 1959, and beginning with a single school in a private home in Dubai in 1968, GEMS remains a family-founded and family-led organisation, guided by its visionary Founder and Chairman, Sunny Varkey, and his sons Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer, and Jay Varkey, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer.
Today, GEMS educates more than 200,000 students from over 176 nationalities through its global network of owned and managed schools, supported by more than 17,700 employees, including over 10,000 educators and school leaders representing 112 nationalities. Having educated more than 500,000 students over the decades, GEMS continues to provide world-class education through four curricula, preparing young people with the knowledge, character and confidence to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Guided by its enduring mission to put a quality education within the reach of every learner, everywhere, GEMS combines academic rigour with character development, wellbeing, innovation and strong partnerships with families and communities. Its graduates progress to the world’s leading universities, with students accepted into more than 2,000 universities across 71 countries over the past five years, including all eight Ivy League universities in the US and all 24 Russell Group universities and colleges in the UK. In the last four years alone, more than 3,500 GEMS graduates have attended the world’s top 100 universities, over 2,200 have progressed to Russell Group universities, almost 2,000 have enrolled at the world’s top 50 universities, and more than 60 have gone on to Ivy League institutions.
Through its expanding network and philanthropic initiatives, GEMS continues to create opportunities for young people to become leaders, innovators and positive changemakers in their communities and beyond.
