DUBAI // You’re hired. Teachers trying to spark an entrepreneurial spirit in pupils have used perma-tanned US tycoon Donald Trump as an inspiration and model innovator.
Dallal Kahook and Mohammed Motawea led a workshop on Monday to show how they are successfully modelling their business classes after Mr Trump’s reality-television series, The Apprentice.
“Except we can’t say, ‘You’re fired’,” said Ms Kahook, a business teacher at Al Khaleej National School in Dubai.
“Or, ‘You’re suspended’,” joked Mr Motawea.
In the show, Mr Trump issues a challenge to the contestants, who are competing for a chance to be his apprentice. Each week, he dismisses a contestant by delivering his famous line: “You’re fired.”
In their demonstration, Ms Kahook and Mr Motawea instructed the teachers and pupils to create a UAE soft drink to compete with Coca-Cola.
Each team had to come up with a name, design and business plan for their Emirati cola and present it to the group.
“Yes, mint-flavoured cola,” 16-year-old Ameesha Gupta said to her fellow pupils from Delhi Private School in Dubai. “That’s awesome.”
Her team wrapped green paper around a bottle and called it Shamzee. In their winning presentation, Ameesha and her colleague Anirudh Kulkarni, 17, sold their product as “no caffeine, sugar free, with no fat as well”. It would also have an insulated can so the drink would stay cool in the heat.
The pupils were full of praise for this way of learning.
“It’s more interactive, it improves students’ skills of public speaking, debating, it helps them get exposure and how to handle their work outside, when they go abroad,” said Anirudh.
“The world wants more innovative designs, not like history or present, they want future.”
Another group of teachers, Carl Hunt and Matthew Davis, of Dubai English Speaking College, also told how they were replicating the reality television show Dragons’ Den in their economics and business classrooms.
Each year, the pupils are grouped into teams and issued a business task – in the past it was market your school. This year, it is market Expo 2020. The pupils must produce a marketing plan using the four Ps – price, place, promotion and product.
At the end of the year, the teams present their business plans to a group of “dragons”, made up of local entrepreneurs, in front of all Year-10 pupils.
“One of the key changes I think we need to do in schools is we need to engage students in other ways of learning,” said Mr Hunt, head of economics and business.
“This doesn’t mean that we throw away all the things that work well already. However, there are other parts to education, which conventional education doesn’t really address, and I think that’s where enterprise education comes in.”
The teachers’ workshops were part of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (KHDA) What Works: Entrepreneurship conference on Monday. The event is one of several held throughout the year focusing on topics, such as maths and science, well-being, literacy and entrepreneurship. The events bring together teachers from across the emirate to share “what works” in their classrooms.
“What we’re finding through What Works is they’re coming with a sense of pride about their experiences, it does work, it does work in Dubai,” said Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the KHDA, the education regulatory body in Dubai.
“They are coming here and they are demonstrating how they are finding the different tools and mechanisms for discovering entrepreneurship in kids at their school.”
Meanwhile, in her keynote address to the 150 teachers from 60 schools, filmmaker Amal Al Agroobi said the life of an entrepreneur isn’t an easy one but it is most rewarding.
“I can tell you that I constantly live in fear. I always think that, ‘Oh, this is never going to work out’, but somehow it always does,” said Ms Al Agroobi, whose mother is Syrian and father is Emirati.
She directed the 2012 highly praised film, Half Emirati.
“Because what I do is what I love and if you’re passionate about something, trust me, it’s going to work for you. You just have to keep going, you just have to keep challenging yourself.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
