From left: David Harkin and Ben Raybould
Doha: Students at GEMS Wellington School in Doha are set to gain enhanced real-world, practical business skills with the new strategic partnership between the school and innovative education platform 8billionideas that focuses on weaving entrepreneurship and social enterprise into core curriculum subjects.
The new partnership is part of a reshaping of the way the curriculum is being delivered, putting Entrepreneurship and Enterprise into its general offering which will significantly contribute to ensuring students thrive in the ever-changing and complex world.
GEMS Wellington School Vice Principal, Ben Raybould said, “For GEMS Wellington School, Qatar to be one of the first schools across the Middle East to launch such an innovative partnership with 8billionideas, who will work with every student aged 4-18 and our staff, is testament to the ambition we have for our entire community and highlights the strong connections we have across the global education sector.”
He added, “The team from 8billionideas will very much become an extension of our staff body and through the building of authentic and lasting relationships, we know our initial projects are only the beginning. On top of this, to have the CEO and founder of 8billionideas, David Harkin, working closely with our Executive Leadership team is incredibly special as we know his relentless energy and optimism will constantly challenge our thinking
and stretch our horizons further.”
8billionideas, a UK-based education company, equips young people with transferable skills in entrepreneurship that will support them in the future. The launch of the programme at GEMS Wellington School – Qatar will augment the school’s existing curriculum, supporting teachers to deliver classes in an increasingly dynamic and engaging way. The programme is also being delivered at GEMS Wellington Academy – Al Khail, in Dubai, as part of the Wellington groups’ joint initiatives.
8billionideas founder and CEO, Harkin said, “We are beyond excited about forming our first strategic partnership in Qatar, with GEMS Wellington School and the progressive innovative leaders that are the school’s Principal and CEO David Wilson and Vice Principal Ben Raybould. 8billionideas will bring world-class careers and entrepreneurship education into the school from Year 1 through to Year 13, driving their personalised curriculum and innovation strategy for today and into the future.
"We’re delighted this partnership is the first of its kind in the region, and we’re excited that the ambitions and the vision of the school are completely in line with our own mission to give every student on the planet the skills and belief to change the world.”
Students will begin to learn entrepreneurial and business skills in their core curriculum subjects with immediate effect.
In Geography, for example, a class learning about a specific region will benefit from extra guidance from an 8billionideas facilitator as their learning is enhanced by exploring how to create a tourist brochure and marketing campaign for the region, and analysing potential risk factors for the environment against the demands of the economy.
In addition, by leveraging 8billionideas video resources and live mentor sessions from certified mentors, teachers can bring real world-of-work concepts into the classroom to prepare students for the future.
The programme is initially being introduced to Years 1-6 with age-appropriate content for each pathway.
The school plans to develop further programmes across the school at a later stage. Students will develop individual and joint projects as well enter a Primary-wide competition to create a ‘world changing idea’.
