Ford and Higher Colleges of Technology Drive Youth Innovation with Launch of UAE’s First Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy Workshop

The Ford Motor Company Fund is continuing its expansion of the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy (HFEA) in the Middle East, bringing its workshop to the UAE for the very first time.

The announcement of a partnership between Ford and the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), the UAE’s largest applied higher education institution, continues the Ford Motor Company Fund’s long-standing commitment to empowering people by providing better opportunities through education.

Aimed at enhancing the business-oriented education of prospective businesspeople, HFEA, HCT, and VCU have joined forces to promote the belief that entrepreneurship education has the power to become one of the most important economic forces in the world.

Aspiring entrepreneurs in the Middle East could be considered to be some of the most connected thinkers in the world and the HFEA will enhance the potential of budding entrepreneurs in the UAE.

While young Arabs from GCC countries are mostly satisfied that their education is preparing them for ‘real-world’ work, according to the recently conducted Arab Youth Survey, innovative business training could help better prepare the Arab youth to move the region forward.

“The results of the Arab Youth Survey have proved the importance of providing innovative opportunities for the next generation of businessmen and women,” said Simonetta Verdi, Director, Government and Community Relations, Ford Middle East and Africa.

“A business-oriented and highly-focused approach to learning, assisted by the training and opportunities generated by the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy workshops can help participants gain important entrepreneurial skills, generate innovative ideas, and become more prepared for the future.”

Ford, HCT and VCU have formed an exceptional partnership to address local entrepreneurship training needs, and remain committed to arming the successful businesspeople of the future with the skills and acumen to thrive. Through business-specific education, guidance and networking opportunities, such as the HFEA, the region’s young entrepreneurs will be better equipped to handle future challenges in the business world.

Taking place at HCT’s Sharjah Women’s campus over three days from November 14-16, 2017, in Sharjah’s University City, the HFEA will also see seed funding of $1,000 invested in the participant who best demonstrates entrepreneurial capacity.

Open to 50 participants, the closing date for applications to the UAE’s first ever three-day HFEA workshop is October 20, 2017. With workshop tuition covered by the Ford Motor Company Fund, interested participants are urged to apply here as early as possible to enhance the chances of gaining a coveted place.

“Encouraging our students to become entrepreneurs and providing them with the right mindset, skills and toolkit is a core element of the HCT 2.0 strategy. We are investing in innovation zones in all of our campuses to allow interested students to experiment and refine their ideas to successfully transit from student to entrepreneur,” Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi, HCT Vice Chancellor, said.

“Students selected to participate in the HFEA will have the opportunity to shape their thinking and learn how to build their future businesses using best international practices. HCT expects to host further HFEA workshops across its system to allow many more of our students to consider setting up their own ventures, “Dr. Al Shamsi added.

Once more, HFEA enjoys a strong partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Business, where HFEA lead architect Jay Markiewicz is executive director of Entrepreneurship Programmes.

The Ford Motor Company Fund invests about one third of the funds in support of education, including scholarships that help deserving students attain higher education and programmes that help schools offer students new approaches to learning. In 2016, the Ford Fund invested more than $18 million in education initiatives around the world.