Sharjah: Skyline University College (SUC) in Sharjah is launching a fund worth Dh50,000 to Dh100,000 for each “qualified and feasible” business plan by its students aiming to start a business venture.
The fund is being allocated as part of the newly launched Skyline Entrepreneurship and Innovation Club Centre (SEIC Centre). The SEIC itself is an existing club at SUC, established in 2013 for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, training students to be business leaders, and connecting students with industry.
This year, SUC added the SEIC Centre, a new facility in the campus where students can showcase their business plans, develop their ideas, and enhance their entrepreneurial skills.
The SEIC Centre will help budding entrepreneurs with business strategies and improve their skills in all aspects of business under the full supervision and guidance of SUC faculty members and experts from the industry.
The SEIC consists of a chief patron, advisory board, corporate and government alliance and partnerships, faculty mentor team, and the SEIC student club body. The formation of the club also led to the construction of SUC Innovation Lab where students seek inspiration from different business leaders, innovators, and successful stories of big companies from around the world.
The club has been conducting interuniversity business plan competitions over the years to serve as a platform for students from all over the UAE and neighbouring countries. The business plans and ideas are screened based on their feasibility and given enough time to be fine-tuned. Industry leaders and experts have also shared with SUC students their knowledge and given tips to SUC budding entrepreneurs through the CEO Lecture Series.
Nitin Anand, SUC chair of the executive council and board member, said: “We want our students to be creators of jobs rather than seekers after they graduate. The seed money we are allocating for the SEIC is only the beginning of our efforts to give them the proper training and real-life exposure as early as now to embark on their business start-ups. Aside from giving them the right exposures in the industry, we want to encourage our students to pursue their dreams and the SUC management supports them to turn these dreams into reality.”
Other major improvements to the Sharjah campus include the addition of the 2+2 and 3+1 Programme, with the recently approved and accredited Articulation Agreement between SUC and Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. The programme will give students the opportunity to finish their bachelor’s degree in UK and vice versa.
Also this year, SUC has doubled its plan for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in the Year of Giving 2017. The plan includes a monthlong celebration and community service works for breast cancer awareness in October, among other initiatives.
