Bedaya and Qatar Shell Launch ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ 2014

Doha, 30 September 2014: The ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ 2014 competition was launched in universities this month and in schools next month, with more than 700 student participants from across Qatar. Now in its third year, the annual challenge is designed to encourage and inspire the entrepreneurial spirit among young people in Qatar and this year involves 12 independent schools and nine universities from Doha and the Northern Communities.

Over the coming weeks, more than 100 volunteer mentors, the vast majority of whom are Qatari, will deliver coaching sessions for the student participants on ethical business, and train them on how to navigate a computer-based business simulation ahead of the competition.

The volunteer mentors, who themselves have received coaching-skills training from professionals at Bedaya Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development  and Qatar Shell, will mentor the students and support the competing teams until the semi-finals in October.  Grand Final events will be held for the Universities on 15th November and for Schools on 15th December 2014, where finalist teams will compete head-to-head for The ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ trophy.

Since its inauguration in 2012, ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ has quickly garnered a strong following. Last year’s competition ran in nine universities in Doha and six schools in the Northern Communities in Qatar, with 430 student participants in the business challenge that culminated during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2013.

This year the current ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ reaches out to 12 schools and nine universities across Qatar.

Wael Sawan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Shell, said: “I am extremely proud to see a significant growth in the number of students and mentors participating in the ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ programme this year.  We really feel that in the ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ , Bedaya under the Chairmanship of Abdulaziz Al Khalifa and Qatar Shell have developed a tool that nurtures entrepreneurial skills and empowers young people.”

"It is particularly pleasing to see so many mentors, including so many Qataris, volunteering their time as mentors, each of whom also receives training that I hope supports their own professional development.  We hope this competition will spark a passion among our young people to become future entrepreneurs“By training young people and their mentors, and by sowing the seeds for the future diversification of the economy, ‘Enterprise Challenge Qatar’ is directly supporting and contributing to both human and economic development within Qatar, which are vital pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030.” added Sawan.

The entrepreneurship programme has different tiers for high school and university students, and is made up of two parts comprising: the Ethical Business Challenge, which tests participants’ ability to balance the economic, environmental and social performance of their company; and the Business Simulation element which familiarises students with general business concepts from inception through to trading, finance, sales, marketing and production.

The independent schools participating in this year’s competition from Doha include Al Bayyan Girls School, Qatar Complex Girls School, Al Rayyan Al Jadid Girls School, Ad Doha Boys School, Umar Bin Abdul-Aziz Boys School and Ahmad bin Hanbal Boys School. The independent schools taking part from the Northern Communities of Doha include Al Khor Girls School, Al Shamal Girls School, Al Guwairiya Girls School, Al Shamal Boys School, Abdullah Bin A Al-Misned Boys School and Az-Zubarah Boys School.

The nine universities also participating this year include Qatar University, Texas A&M University at Qatar, the Community College of Qatar, Stenden University Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, North Western University in Qatar, College of the North Atlantic Qatar, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.

‘The Enterprise Challenge’ competition was created by Mosaic, a UK-based not for profit organisation established by HRH the Prince of Wales in 2007 with a range of mentoring programmes aimed at fostering opportunities for young people. Qatar Shell is the founding partner of Mosaic in Qatar, and together with Bedaya, has worked to bring ‘the Enterprise Challenge’ to Qatar.