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Eighty volunteer-mentors, a majority of them Qataris, have received training from the Bedaya Centre and Qatar Shell to coach students from Doha and the northern communities for ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar 2014.’ |
The Enterprise Challenge Qatar (ECQ) is a programme that encourages the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people by equipping them with practical skills to develop their business acumen, team work and
strategic thinking.
ECQ is delivered to students by volunteer-mentors from different professional backgrounds, some of which are business owners with experience in establishing and leading successful businesses. More than 100 volunteer-mentors will deliver the training for students at schools and
universities this year.
The recent training sessions were aimed at equipping volunteers with the needed skills to coach students on ethical concepts and general business, in addition to the ability to train other mentors who will take part in the ECQ 2014. Volunteers will begin mentoring school and university students in September.
Walid Hadeid, of Bedaya Centre, said: “Given that today’s youth will be tomorrow’s business leaders who will essentially help diversify Qatar’s economy, it is important for people with a passion for enterprise to volunteer for this important challenge.”
The ECQ programme is made up of two parts. The Ethical Business Challenge tests participants’ ability to balance the economic, environmental and social performance of their company while the Business Simulation element familiarises students with general business concepts from inception to trading, finance, sales, marketing and
production.
Salah al-Malek, mentors’ recruitment lead at Qatar Shell, said: “Qatar Shell and Bedaya provide volunteers with specialised training to deliver the ECQ. Our role as mentors is to teach students practical and ethical business operations, and support student teams to achieve the highest possible score in the computer-based business simulation competition.”
The programme will run throughout October and November, with the final competition for universities taking place during the Global Entrepreneurship Week from November 17 to 23. This will be followed by the final competition for schools in December.
Since its establishment in 2012, the programme has rapidly expanded, with a growing number of institutions, businesses, schools, and mentors becoming involved. This year, the Bedaya Centre and Qatar Shell signed a three-year agreement to expand the programme among the universities and schools in Doha and the northern communities.
