A group of students from Stenden University in Qatar have completed a training course at DePaul University, Chicago, as part of the entrepreneurship and business development programme offered by the Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship in the Middle East.
The two-week programme involved eight students from Qatar’s Stenden University (majoring in International Business and Hospitality and Tourism Management) learning from Chicago’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. During the course, the students learnt howto develop and enhance business ideas from the DePaul faculty, from Chicago entrepreneurs, and from prominent local businesspeople.
The students worked with the respected DePaul faculty on subjects such as business plan development, accounting, financial management, marketing, human resources, sales, client relations, technology, leadership, and other business topics. The students also visited entrepreneurship incubators, met with business leaders, learnt from successful DePaul alumni, and received advice from the esteemed DePaul faculty.
The goal of this programme was to ensure that aspiring young students can start their entrepreneurial journeys from the strongest foundations and armed with the knowledge needed to be able to face challenges, overcome them and succeed. During their visit, the students shared several business ideas and discussed them with the DePaul faculty. They were also offered guidance on enhancing those ideas and turn them into reality. At the end of the programme, the students presented those ideas to the Dean of DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business, Dr Ray Whittington. The ideas were discussed among students and professors, and the students received certificates acknowledging their completion of the programme.
Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of The Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship in the Middle East, said: “It is pleasing to see the progress the Center has achieved through the unique range of programmes it has been offering. The significant rise in the number of programme participants reflects the high entrepreneurial spirit among our youth. Entrepreneurship represents innovation, finding new possibilities and seeing unmet market needs, all of which are key to enriching our economies. Nevertheless, to be able to succeed, one needs to have the right skill set and knowhow for operating a business and this is what we aim to offer potential entrepreneurs through the Center: knowledge, skills, and motivation to widen their horizons and to grow our economy.”
Dr Mandy Terc, Director of the Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship in the Middle East, DePaul University, said: “It was a wonderful experience having young entrepreneurs visit Chicago from Qatar. This programme was very intensive and benefitted the students in several ways. The students’ enthusiasm for entrepreneurship was reflected through their astounding ideas and ambitions. The DePaul faculty was genuinely impressed by the potential the students have, and what great success they can achieve given the right tools, which is what we, at the Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship hope to achieve; preparing youthto become leading prominent entrepreneurs.”
The Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship aims to deliver its objectives through promoting knowledge transfer between Qatar and the United States. There is an increasing demand for SMEs in the region and with this programme it aims to provide future entrepreneurs with the necessary tools and knowledge that can help run a successful business.
