QU, Qatar Shell celebrate completion of first cohortof ‘Shell Intilaaqah-Qatar'

Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar University (QU) and Qatar Shell celebrated the successful completion of the first cohort of Shell Intilaaqah-Qatar, a national initiative aimed at fostering an entrepreneurial mindset among youth and equipping them to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys with strong academic and practical foundations.
Shell Intilaaqah-Qatar is part of Shell LiveWIRE, Shell's global flagship programme for enterprise development. It provides participants with access to international networks and professional mentoring opportunities. This initiative marks a strategic move towards bridging the gap between academic education and real-world professional demands through an intensive eight-week journey combining hands-on training, mentorship, and engagement with leading experts and coaches.
Dr Rana Sobh, dean of the College of Business and Economics at QU, stated, 'Our partnership with Shell has been a powerful journey of growth and impact. Through the Shell Intilaaqah-Qatar programme, we have empowered our students with the skills, mindset, and real-world experience needed to succeed in careers and life and drive positive change in any context.'
During the closing ceremony, Hussain Al-Hijji, general manager of corporate relations at Qatar Shell, the main sponsor and strategic partner of the programme, said, 'At Qatar Shell, our commitment to sustainable development is rooted in people. Therefore, we must start with the next generation to build a thriving future. When we launched Shell Intilaaqah Qatar, we wanted to do more than teach students about entrepreneurship. We wanted to give them a space to grow, dream, test their ideas, and, most importantly, believe in themselves.'
The programme attracted strong interest from the student body at QU, with 188 students from diverse academic disciplines applying to join. Following a rigorous selection process, 100 participants were accepted into the programme.
The results of the Shell Intilaaqah-Qatar programme demonstrated a clear and positive impact. Participants improved their entrepreneurial competencies in 15 different areas. After completing the programme, students reported a 30 percent increase in their ability to identify high-impact opportunities and a 17 percent increase in their confidence to start their own entrepreneurial ventures. The evaluations also showed significant development in key skills such as opportunity recognition, creative thinking, and collaborative leadership. These outcomes reflect the strength of the program's content and its real influence on youth confidence and their readiness to act.
Dr Khalid Al-Hashimi, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at QU, said, 'We are pleased to conclude the first cohort of Shell Intilaaqah-Qatar, launched in partnership with Qatar Shell with the aim of enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of our students and empowering them to develop their ideas into innovative projects that create real impact in society. This programme provided a unique learning experience that combined academic instruction with exposure to real entrepreneurial challenges in a fruitful collaboration between the university and the private sector.'
The closing ceremony, held at QU, featured inspiring student presentations that reflected their personal transformation during the programme. Their reflections testified to the programme's impact on how they view entrepreneurship, their increased confidence, and their ability to take initiative and transform challenges into opportunities.
As part of the continued commitment to fostering a sustainable entrepreneurial mindset among Qatari youth, the second cohort of Shell Intilaaqah-Qatar is scheduled to begin in August 2025.

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