It''s headed by Fairouz Asfour, who used to work in marketing and student affairs for the college but has a quirky passion for entrepreneurship.

At one moment during an interview in her office, she presents what she considers a symbol of entrepreneurial thinking: It''s a closed-tight, empty can from Lebanon called Hawa Lubnan, ''Air from Lebanon''.

As the story goes, the inventor was thinking of a way to capture something from the homeland for those homesick oversees. All you need, the inventor realised, is the country''s air, which, it turns out, is easy to get and very light. Now these small cans have become something of a novelty item and promotion for tourism to the country.

For Fairouz, this is an example of entrepreneurship, and she doesn''t want that message to be lost on students. ''We''re trying to attract as many students as we can, so they will get the knowledge of entrepreneurship, whether they become entrepreneurs or not,'' she said. The office began after the college conducted a study to determine the best way to help promote entrepreneurship among students at the college. Fairouz says the centre is designed to be for business students what a lab is to science students.

''The proposal was on creating a centre that is dedicated for entrepreneurship. The idea behind it is, the students are here, they are studying HR, finance, marketing, accounting, auditing, but are they implementing these academic theories? YESI is there to implement what they are learning,'' she said. Fairouz says the office is working as a liaison between students and staff.

Since opening at the beginning of the 2015 academic year, the office has organised more than ten workshops teaching business practices things like feasibility studies, business plans, cash flow, marketing and social media. They''ve also conducted seminars and hosted guest speakers. YESI has an associated student club which has grown into more than 200 student members. Twelve students act as ambassadors, taking the lead in organising activities.

Beyond YESI, the college requires every student to take a course on entrepreneurship during their third year. The college currently has three of its teachers training through SMEF''s Certified Entrepreneur Educator Programme. Fairouz says entrepreneurship is not just education or skills. It''s creating a ''character'' within the students.

''If we could find these characters and build them up to be an entrepreneur, we are successful. If we could take these people and improve their character and give them leadership characteristics, then we are successful. If we bring out of these projects that can be built up and can happen, then we are successful,'' she said.

Fairouz says the college is creating a new type of graduate, with a broad mind. ''Our role is to tell the students that there is an option; a job is not the final option. There is another option, another door that you can open and go in,'' she said. CBFS is located in Bausher and offers various business degrees, including accounting, finance, management and marketing.

(This article is second of the four-part series on how entrepreneurship is changing higher education in Oman)

Part I