HBMSU & Microsoft launch Junior Developer Program & Junior Entrepreneur Program at KidZania® in The Dubai Mall

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Our legacy lies in our innovative children and youth

Initiative falls in line with UAE Innovation Week 2015

Dubai Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has visited the innovation platform of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) at KidZania in Dubai Mall, where he viewed the university’s ‘Jr. Entrepreneurship Program for the Youth’.

Sheikh Hamdan affirmed that building innovation incubators is important to raise the awareness of the new generation; consequently building a solid foundation for a knowledge based economy and contributing to the development of smart cities and governments.

“Our duty towards the next generation is to furnish them with the means to innovate and unleash their potentials and talents as well as offer them the best educational system to lead the future and compete internationally,” Sheikh Hamdan said stressing that smart education is the key to nourishing creative thinking and honing the skills of the youth. He added that our legacy lies in our innovative children and youth.

Accompanying Sheikh Hamdan were Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai and Chairman of HBMSU board of trustees Lt. General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, the Chancellor of HBMSUDr. Mansoor Al Awar and a number of senior officials. The nationally certified ‘Junior Developer Program’ (KODU) and ‘Junior Entrepreneur Program’ were launched within HBMSU’s innovative platform at KidZania® in The Dubai Mall, which was established in 2012 at the initiative of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan to provide children with the opportunity to experience university life. The launch ceremony was attended by senior officials and decision makers, including H.E. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police and General Security and Chairman of HBMSU Board of Governors. The University was greatly commended for its efforts to promote innovation and entrepreneurship amongst youngsters and optimally enable them to deal with modern technologies and programming languages using KODU.

‘Junior Developer Program’ received overwhelming interest as a unique initiative aimed at supporting the ongoing efforts to utilize human capabilities to realize UAE Vision 2021 to position the country among the world’s top-most nations. The program targets children between the ages of 5 to 14 years and train them on how to programme and create games using Microsoft’s KODU, a simple visual programming language that is used to teach creativity, problem solving and storytelling. Upon completion of the program and creating their games, participants will receive a certificate from both HBMSU and Microsoft and will be announced as Junior Developer graduates to verify their effective skills in addressing latest technological developments.

‘Junior Entrepreneur Program’ is launched at a time when there is a growing need to enhance the basic entrepreneurial skills of the new generations. The program develops self-confidence, self-reliance and a sense of responsibility among young people as well as unleash their imagination by using modern technology to apply innovative ideas. Junior Entrepreneur Program also provides training on how to establish a private business, based on the methodology of improving skills such as cooperation, listening, calculation, creative thinking, problem solving, and team building, all of which are essential to promote entrepreneurship. The program is about a key concept -- “What does it mean to have a private business?” and provide training and education to young people about products and services, business plans, technical aspects, sales and marketing, and financial management.

H.E. Khalfan pointed out that the new initiative confirms HBMSU’s commitment to work in accordance with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan to re-shape the future of teaching and learning through the use of creative tools to keep pace with the march towards ‘smart’ transformation. He valued the strategic partnership with Microsoft in launching ‘Junior Developer Program’ (KODU) which will have a positive and clear impact in terms of achieving the indicators of the UAE National Agenda of Vision 2021 to build a competitive knowledge-based economy under the leadership of highly knowledgeable and creative human resources.

H.E. Khalfan added: “The importance of Junior Developer Program is in being a perfect platform for the development of knowledge and practical skills in programming, which is the backbone of the digital age, in addition to preparing a new generation that is capable of keeping up with the requirements of the 21st century. On the other hand, the Junior Entrepreneur Program is a qualitative leap to promote entrepreneurial skills in children from an early age, instilling in them self-confidence, entrepreneurship, leadership and excellence, all of which are main pillars for the development of the right skills in modern societies and economies”.

Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties, said: “The launch of the ‘Junior Developer Program’ (KODU) and ‘Junior Entrepreneur Program’ at KidZania® in The Dubai Mall is a strong testament to the focus of HH Sheikh Hamdan to strengthen a culture of innovation among children, our future generation of business leaders and professionals. The nurturing environment that KidZania® offers to children in promoting all-round personality development will serve as an ideal complement to this path-breaking educational initiative that integrates both the power of innovation and the potential of information technology. We are thankful to HBMSU for choosing KidZania® as the venue for the program, and we are committed to promoting its success.”

“At Microsoft, we believe that nurturing young talent through innovation is the key to success of a country. And deploying cutting edge technology solutions to do that, is an effective recipe for stimulating innovation that would help overcome any barriers. In line with the UAE Innovation week, and to support the UAE vision 2021, we are honored to partner with HBMSU in this initiative that will help unleash the creativity of the young individuals and raise the bar to position the country at the pinnacle of innovation,” said Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf.

HBMSU’s stand in KidZania® in The Dubai Mall offers a complete portfolio of creative initiatives, educational activities, and educational games for children aged 5 to 16 years. The stand has attracted more than 300,000 visitors between the age of 6 and 10 years since its launch in 2012. HBMSU had issued more than 70 certificates through this innovative stand in the last 3 years.