Demand in entrepreneurship courses in the UAE are on the rise with universities recording at least a 25-30 per cent rise in enrolments in the last five years.
That’s according to academicians in the country who explained that varsities are now focused on developing ‘job creators’ as opposed to ‘job seekers’.
With an aim to nurture an entrepreneurial spirit across disciplines, some universities’ ‘general education curriculum’ mandates that students complete a minimum number of courses in entrepreneurship.
Dr Dima Jamali, VP, Academic Affairs, Canadian University Dubai said, “We are experiencing an unprecedented surge in student interest in entrepreneurship. This exciting trend has inspired us to develop a new, cutting-edge entrepreneurship program, set to launch soon at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The response has been positive with significant interest from both prospective and current students.
“Stemming from our belief in fostering an entrepreneurial spirit across all disciplines, our general education curriculum requires all students to complete at least two courses in entrepreneurship,” she said.
She stressed the university’s entrepreneurship programs are deeply integrated with the industry, ensuring students have a finger on the pulse of the business world.
“We also collaborate with leading industry pioneers, such as our recent groundbreaking programme entitled ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship in a Sustainable World’, in partnership with Deloitte, UC Berkeley AMENA, and World Innovations Network (WIN). This immersive programme connects aspiring entrepreneurs with seasoned mentors and experts from Silicon Valley, focusing on market-driven innovation, ethical business practices, leadership development, and creating sustainable solutions for global challenges,” added Jamali.
With Dubai emerging as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, different universities continue to make concerted efforts to offer more structured support to students interested in entrepreneurship programs and courses.
Professor Fazal Malik, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Amity University Dubai, said, “We’ve seen a 25-30 per cent increase in programs related to entrepreneurship, where students want to enrol and graduate. This has been the case over the last five years. We are trying to align with the direction which the UAE government, especially in Dubai, has taken to encourage more entrepreneurs and create more ’employment creators’, rather than ’employment seekers’.
“Students from ‘all programs’ from Business to Engineering to Humanities are supported to incubate their ideas. We have a course called Innovation and Entrepreneurship which is taught to every student irrespective of their stream.”
They host flagship events that connect students with potential investors, partners, and customers.
The university’s incubation centre, also a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), is now registered with Dubai SME as an incubation centre.
Additionally, he highlighted the university is providing legal support to students to set up companies. “In this country it’s important to have a legal understanding of how to set up a company and in our entrepreneurship centre we also have legal professors providing a framework that helps students register a company. Therefore, it’s important to provide students with hand-on training.”
Even the Gulf Medical University, has been nurturing entrepreneurship among its students and alumni across all the six colleges.
Many of the students and alumni consult the university to start or reform businesses in the pharmacy sector.
“The GMU Startup Lab and experiential education is designed to transform their ideas into successful ventures. We offer comprehensive support ranging from legal and financial guidance to networking and expert advice, ensuring that they have everything they need to bring their business idea to life,” said Dr Dixon Thomas, Associate Dean Clinical and Professor of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy- Gulf Medical University.
Meanwhile, a new Bangladeshi university Daffodil International University Ras Al Khaimah (DIU RAK), will open its doors to students in September 2024.
Alongside other degrees, they will expand their footprint with ‘Entrepreneurship’ programs that aims to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and academic excellence.
Dr Sabur Khan, Founder and Chairman of Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University said, “Entrepreneurship and Real Estate Management are completely new and very relevant courses. We are committed to delivering high-quality programs, fostering entrepreneurship, research and development, and contributing positively to the community. Our focus is to develop job creators as opposed to job seekers.”
He stressed the university aims to provide education that empowers students to become global leaders and innovators.
Other courses that are on the rise are ‘real estate’ and ‘tourism’ as well as programmes related to ‘hospitality’.
“Tourism and hospitality subjects have specifically been designed for the UAE and GCC markets. Similarly, real estate and tourism are two key economic activities where there is a shortage of qualified human talents. We are also introducing real estate management, hospitality and tourism very prominently in our curriculum – to not only help Bangladeshi students, but students of all nationality – so that they can contribute to the UAE economy.
“Our curricula focuses on the UAE and GCC economies as well as the future demand of jobs – including technology and innovation,” added Khan.
College heads reaffirmed that the courses are meant to develop local human talents that will contribute to the UAE and GCC economies.
Earlier, Essa Bin Hadher, General Manager of Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), said, “We remain steadfast in our mission to inspire and train our students to become leaders in their respective fields, and by providing an avenue for high school and college graduates to pursue certificate and diploma courses tailored for the tourism industry, we aim to significantly impact the development of the city’s tourism sector, nurturing the next-generation tourism workforce.”
Notably, the UAE launched the Entrepreneurship Challenge recently which was the inaugural initiative of the Graduate Fund, powered by the Ministry of Education.
The Graduate Fund targets UAE nationals aged 18 to 35, including university students with entrepreneurial ambitions, as well as young entrepreneurs and SME founders looking to expand their businesses.
The Entrepreneurship Festival was the first-of-its-kind event aimed at fostering entrepreneurial spirit among university students and graduates.
Fifteen winners from government universities, who came up with innovative ideas, were awarded prizes worth up to Dh2 million.
Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, earlier said, “We at the Ministry of Education are committed to building on this initiative’s success and continuing to support youth entrepreneurship. We believe in the crucial role of applied and practical education in preparing mature, creative, and exceptional future generations that can thrive in tomorrow’s world.”
© Khaleej Times
Twitter