H.E. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security in Dubai and Chairman of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University’s (HBMSU) Board of Governors (BOG), and Chairman of Juvenile Care and Awareness Association, graced recently the graduation ceremony for the ‘Summer Camp’ of HBMSU’s Entrepreneurship and Technology Science Program, which was launched in partnership with Juvenile Care and Awareness Association to create new generations of modern entrepreneurs who will be qualified to lead the country’s sustainable development. During the graduation ceremony, 18 graduates of the program with winning pilot projects were awarded and honored using the Block Chain Technology. Other attendees were Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of HBMSU, Dr. Mohammad Murad Abdullah, Secretary-general of the Juvenile Care and Awareness Association, and Senior officials.
The Entrepreneurship and Technology Science Program empowers young talents to make them more globally competitive, innovative, and knowledgeable. A total of 100 learners enrolled in the program’s three main modules. Fifty-two learners aged 7 to 10 were taught about the concepts of ‘Minecraft and 3D designs’; 27 learners aged 11 to 13, ‘Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship’; and 21 learners aged 14 to 17, ‘Advanced Programming – Python and Entrepreneurship’. The parents of the learners commended HBMSU and its program, saying the university has been instrumental in providing the young generation with a set of advanced creative, innovative, and technological skills in collaboration with Juvenile Care and Awareness Association. This is in line with the national leadership and capacity building efforts and investment in the country’s human resources.
H.E. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim was proud of the program’s graduates as he praised those with winning projects. He said: “the top-notch projects reflect the graduates’ impressive innovative and entrepreneurial skills and capacity to catapult the country into the ranks of the world’s most innovative nations. Their advanced skills could boost their chances when they start their own respective careers as emphasized by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
H.E. added: “The successful quality program was develop to enrich minds and equip the learners with necessary modern skills, so that they will become an active and productive members of society as the country transition to a knowledge economy in line with UAE Vision 2021 and the directive of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the Supreme President of the University, to provide the young with 21st century skills.
Dr. Al Awar said: “The 18 winners of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Science Program are the latest addition to HBMSU’s growing list of talented graduates who will become our future leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision makers according to the vision of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the Supreme President of the University,who focuses on investing in Emirati youth to nurture their leadership and innovative capabilities. We at HBMSU are proud of our efforts to develop the country’s young talents as we continue to keep abreast of the global changes in support of the 50-Year Charter.”
Dr. Al Awar added: “We are proud of our partnership with the Juvenile Care and Awareness Association as well. Moreover, the 18 winners will undoubtedly make valuable contributions to the government’s efforts to the country’s economic diversification policies and initiatives to build a knowledge- and innovation-driven economy. We will continue our efforts to launch more quality programs in partnership with strategic organizations to nurture the talents of our young people by using both state-of-the-art technologies and innovative learning methods.”
A high-level panel of judges, including academicians, experts, and accredited trainers of leading technological and entrepreneurship training institutions, graded the projects submitted for the program. In the ‘Minecraft and 3D designs’; Matar Ahmed Yahya Saeed Al Yaaqoubi won first place in Group A, while Rawda Nasser Abdo Nasser was named first place in Group B. In ‘Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship; Khalid Walid Obeid Al Naqbi’s project was named the winner in the product category, while Reem Hamad Mahfouz Hosni Al Shehhi ranked first in the servive category. In the ‘Advanced Programming – Python and Entrepreneurship’, the winners were Hamdan Ahmed Abdullah Ali, who ranked first in the product category, and Sarah Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed Amiri, who topped the service category.
Farah Lakani, Member of the Jury, Dubai Startup Hub, said: “I am honored to be part of the jury. We highly value the efforts of the participants of the program, which encourages innovation. They conducted extensive research and a lot of hard work to propose the best ideas. I would also like to thank HBMSU, which is constantly working to bring about a positive change in the life of our youth by instilling in them the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that will be positively impact the country’s future.”
In the ‘Advanced Programming – Python and Entrepreneurship’ level, the learners gained advanced technological and entrepreneurial skills and learned about the fundamentals of the world’s first programming language, Python. With the latest tools, they successfully executed their projects in five phases, namely ‘project idea and its concept ability;’ ‘identifying the target group and how to access it;’ ‘marketing plan;’ ‘investor file;’ and ‘implementation of the project’s electronic platform.’ The participants also learned about the fundamentals of software, electronics, and design using 2D and 3D techniques. They were given an opportunity to present their work across several categories. Some of them were asked to design six different games as well as interactive stories and applications. Others prepared two different robotics projects as well as designed and printed Men Kraft characters and their respective icons, electronic greeting cards, and 3D modeling. An exhibition was held in conjunction with the graduation to showcase the learners’ innovative projects
