Abu Dhabi, UAE, 16th March 2010- As the sun rises over Yas Island on March 16th, 80 UAE students will wake up to a very demanding “Enterprise Challenge,” a one-day event organized by the British Council, as part of its Skills for Employability programme, in partnership with Barclays Bank Plc and INJAZ-UAE, a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide.

The Enterprise Challenge is designed to complement the students’ existing curriculum while teaching modern workplace skills like problem solving, team work, verbal and non-verbal communication, presentation, leadership and entrepreneurial skills to the nation’s future workforce.

At the event, the students will be divided into teams that will compete against each other through a set of educational activities and experiential learning games. They will be given a business challenge and will have to propose a solution within a very limited time, using select exercises, information and INJAZ-UAE resources. With the help and guidance of trained professional volunteers from the private sector, students will finally pitch their ideas to a panel of judges to win the challenge.

To prepare for the rigours of the Challenge, all participants had to undergo a one-day training with one of Edexcel’s leading UK based trainers. After the training, Saoud, a student from Abu Dhabi Men’s College, shared: “From this training, I learnt how to work as a team. I learnt how to solve a problem at work, working either on my own or with a group. This will help me work with new people. I am really looking forward to the Challenge and I’d like to win it!”

The Enterprise Challenge has also found strong supporters among the participating organizations. Pauline Holt, a lecturer from Abu Dhabi Men’s College, said: “It is going to be a great motivator for the students and will allow them to put theory into practice. What is nice is that they are able to work with a range of people that they would normally not interact with in the classroom. Bringing in external trainers is helping them learn to relate to different individuals and gain a greater understanding of different professions in the marketplace.”

Melanie Relton, Regional Vocational Education Manager for the British Council, supports this view: “It is a real pleasure to work in partnership with so many organizations that are actively supporting the development of the next generation of employees. By working together we can help students both professionally and through their own personal development.”

The participating students have been gathered from leading higher education institutions like the Abu Dhabi Men’s College, Abu Dhabi Women’s College, Abu Dhabi Vocational Education & Training Institute and Dubai National Institute for Vocational Education. The winner of the Enterprise Challenge will receive an annual subscription to online work skills training and will become the UAE’s representative for the British Council’s Enterprise Challenge.

Read online coverage here:

The National: English Newspaper