​Doha, September 26, 2016: a group of students from Stenden University, Qatar, have completed a training course at DePaul University, Chicago, as part of the entrepreneurship and business development program offered by the Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship in the Middle East.

The two-week program involved eight students from Qatar’s Stenden University Qatar (majoring in International Business and Hospitality and Tourism Management) learning from Chicago’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. During the course, the students learnt how to 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 program was to ensure that aspiring young students are able to 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 given guidance on how to enhance those ideas and turn them into reality. At the end of the program, the students presented those ideas to the Dean of DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business, Dr. Ray Whittington. The ideas were discussed amongst students and professors, and the students received certificates acknowledging their completion of the program..

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 programs it has been offering. The significant rise in the number of program participants reflects the high entrepreneurial spirit amongst 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 skillset and know-how 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, also added: “It was a wonderful experience having young entrepreneurs visit Chicago from Qatar. This program 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 youth to become leading prominent entrepreneurs.”

The Sheikh Faisal Center for Entrepreneurship is committed to delivering 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 program we aim to provide future entrepreneurs with the necessary tools and knowledge that can help them run a successful business.