(MENAFN- Arab Times) The question of what it takes to turn an idea into a business is being answered as Price Water House Coopers (PwC), a leading professional services firm, in collaboration with its partners and sponsors help young local students in Kuwait think independently and out of the box by launching for the second consecutive year the PIN2 (PIN Squared) challenge. The PIN2 Challenge is a business plan competition led by PwC for high schools in Kuwait, that gives young students an opportunity to showcase innovative ideas by working in diverse teams incorporating challenges that are relevant to the prevailing social, economic, and technological environment, allowing them to grow and develop.
Along with its partners, PwC Kuwait, as part of their continuous commitment to support communities and develop local talent, created the programme focused on specific dimensions to include the development of the students' analytical and problem-solving skills, communication and team spirit and many more; helping them gain a wider knowledge base to be able to further develop their ideas and compete in today's commercial market environment. Through the five- month course, the programme will run through a series of interactive workshops, thought provoking case discussions, team building exercises, and networking opportunities. PwC and the sponsors, through regular interaction with the students will share their thought leadership expertise, industry insights and feedback on a continual basis.
Commenting on the initiative, PwC Kuwait Partner, Daryoush Mohammed Pour stated, "At PwC we encourage our own talent to grow, develop and lead their own projects; whether it's when catering to clients or when seeing through a corporate social responsibility initiative like this one. With this initiative we're looking at building future leaders with an entrepreneurial spirit to excel in their professional lives". Waleed Al Khashti, Zain's Corporate Communications and Relations Manager for his part chipped in, saying that his company's participation in the program positively demonstrates Zain's commitment to supporting the youth, who have the skills and creative abilities to contribute to the growth of society. He added that focusing on the development of entrepreneurial talents and capacity building, Zain's participation in the PIN2 Challenge plays a pivotal role in the betterment of society, thereby implementing the basic values of human development as part of Zain's long term Corporate Social Responsibility and strategic objectives.
Committed
The NBK Deputy General Manager for Human Resource Emad Al Ablani said, "NBK is committed to supporting talented and qualified youngsters and empowering them to realize their potentials. The PIN2 Challenge goes along with NBK's initiatives to invest in youth and support their aspirations. NBK believes that investing in human resources is investing in our future. We are looking forward with high expectations for the outcomes of the PIN2 Challenge."
In her concluding remarks, the Ali Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa representative said that with more than 50% of the Kuwaiti population under the age of 25, talent and skill development are a vital part of the growth and development of the country. "Our partnership again this year is part of our corporate social responsibility for what our community needs at this very moment- investing in our youth, building their talent and developing their skills".
"We believe AAW and our partners are well-positioned in providing these skill sets to the youth through excellent programs, competitions and challenges just like this one. We look forward to witnessing what the participating students will showcase this year."
The PIN2 Challenges is a corporate responsibility initiative driven by PwC and its partners, Zain, National Bank of Kuwait, Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co, and sponsored by 4 Films Printing Group Company, Marriott Kuwait and the Wharton Club of the Middle East.
It is a business plan competition aimed for high schools in Kuwait, that starts in the beginning of November 2013 till March 2014, where students from each school form a team (3-6) to create a business plan for an innovative idea; participating schools include: American International School, Al Bayan Bilingual School, New English School, Kuwait English School and Universal American School.
The PIN2 Challenge program kick- started in October 2012 targeting high school students in Kuwait and inviting them to develop plans that address issues of sustainability, technology, design and governance with mentorship from the sponsoring organizations. Over the course of six months, the program attracted thirteen teams, comprising of 100 students drawn from across the five participating schools.
The three winning teams for the opening round of the competition who received their awards in April this year included the Global Youth Initiative team, the Little Entrepreneurs team along with the AAT Corporation team. PwC, a network of firms in 157 countries employing over 184,000 people committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services, helps organisations and individuals create the value they're looking for.
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