Internship programmes offered by foreign and local companies in Qatar could help raise awareness on the importance of promoting an “entrepreneurship culture” among young Qatari students, an entrepreneur has said.
Qatar Extreme Sports founder Farhan al-Sayed said students could learn a variety of values and life experiences from internship programmes, which, according to him, “is another way to kick-start their careers as future entrepreneurs.”
“During the summer or winter breaks, students need not leave the country but can work as interns. They can receive salaries or work as volunteers. Either way, the experience could help them understand how the system works, help build self-confidence, and improve their social skills,” al-Sayed told Gulf Times yesterday.
Al-Sayed noted that apprenticeships and on-the-job-trainings impart important values such as modesty and patriotism. He said training programmes “encourage young Qataris to stay and live in Qatar after graduating from university.”
“Qatar has changed since the establishment of Education City. Today, many Qatari students join Qatar University or they go to American universities at Qatar Foundation where they can enrol in engineering, business, medical, and other courses.
“Once they have earned their respective degrees, they can then work in Qatar or advance their skills in other institutions like Qatar Science and Technology Park, which does offer support to young innovative minds in developing their ideas,” he said.
According to al-Sayed, students who learn to be hardworking, down-to-earth, and humble at an early age “are the ones who have the strong potential to become
entrepreneurs in the future.”
“Starting your own business requires flexibility and the knowledge to accomplish a task independently, as well as the willingness to put extra hours at work. This mindset is what makes a good entrepreneur,” explained al-Sayed, who delivered a workshop on entrepreneurship during the recently held Qatar Internship Fair 2016.
During the event, al-Sayed said he was impressed with the turnout of participants – around 4,000 high school and college students, who interacted with 14 companies, including QES.
“We need to create more of these internship fairs to expose the youth to the many values that could be learned from working at an early age. The response from the participants was immense and very positive,” said al-Sayed, who noted that more than 250 students were eager to become volunteers at QES.
He added: “Even if we are a non-profit organisation, they want to be part of our group to hone their skills, learn about different cultures, and interact with their peers about sports and other interests.”