The world has changed. There’s an ongoing digital revolution that requires a new workforce; one equipped for dynamism, analytical thinking and empowered with quick decision-making ability.
Enter the United Arab Emirates University’s Pathfinders Program, the first iteration of which will conclude in September.
Pathfinders Program 2.0 will then kick off in October, coinciding with the start of Expo 2020 – currently applications are being assessed. The programme, for which ground zero will be the UAEU pavilion, will offer a transdisciplinary curriculum taught by experts in their fields from leading private, government, and not-for-profit organisations.
The Pathfinders Program will have five journey phases, preceded by an induction phase.
Participants will engage in a two-week immersion bootcamp to learn computational thinking. Thereafter they will work through the following phases.
PHASE 1: INCEPTION
Pathfinders will acquire experiences and build their soft, professional and thinking skills through a series of workshops, experiences and simulations.
Skill sets include design thinking, critical thinking, business and professional skills, etc.
PHASE 2: PATHFINDING
Pathfinders will
i) discover their purpose and their talent;
ii) be exposed to a variety of global challenges identified by key industries (challenge holders) and will identify their own micro challenges.
PHASE 3: IMMERSION
Pathfinders will deep dive into academic knowledge, practical knowledge and sector-specific support required to tackle and thoroughly understand their challenges through interactions with industry key players, experts and a personal exploration.
PHASE 4: CONCEPTION
Pathfinders will narrow down the challenge to a specific solution, be it a product, service or organisation. They will be assisted by path enablers providing tailored guidance to help them prototype their solutions.
PHASE 5: FULFILMENT
Pathfinders will devise strategies to turn their ideas into sustainable solutions, developing compelling value propositions and business cases. In this phase, pathfinders will also present their solutions to the challenge holders and will receive feedback from experts and private companies on what works and what needs further refinement in preparation of the big pitch and the graduation from the programme.
How are the classes delivered?
Programme delivery includes workshops, group work, interactions with experts, path enablers, challenge holders and stakeholders through visits and meetings, and by attending events and public engagements. A blended approach will be used whenever it’s deemed necessary.
The cost of the programme
Dh112,500 per participant. Selected students will pay only Dh5,000 as a subscription fee. The collected fees will be invested back as seed capital to support the best program generated ideas. The seed funding will support the best three solutions of the programme by 50 per cent, 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
The collected fees will be invested back as seed capital to support the best program generated ideas. The seed funding will support the best three solutions of the programme by 50 per cent, 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
