The Technopreneurship Institute, or Tech-I, is an online educational organisation founded in 2014 by Mushtak Al-Atabi, the author of Driving Performance and Think Like an Engineer: Using systematic thinking to solve everyday challenges and unlocking the inherant value in them. The institute aims to unleash the potential of individuals through project-based learning and entrepreneurship. Tech-I works on the basis of volunteer hours. Notable academics from around the world volunteer hours to mentor and teach students from all over the world.
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Education Model
Students who enroll into Tech-I attend structured courses online and work on projects that will benefit the community that they are living in. Learning portfolios and set learning targets which include successfully completing projects, financial planning and community service is used as a measure of student progress. The academic staff of Tech-I include a wide range of world class academics and industry leaders who have volunteered their time and experties to mentor and supervise the students.
Mission Zero
Mission Zero is the driving force of Tech-I. Tech-I sees education as an integral part of helping individuals achieve their full potential. Mission Zero has two parts:
- Bringing the cost of education to zero. Through project-based learning and CDIO, student projects are able to add value to the community in which they are a part of. This allows students an authentic learning experience and making education sustainable.
- Having zero impact on the job market. Every year, large number of graduates leave universities and join the scores of people who are looking for jobs. But who is responsible for creating these jobs? This part of Mission Zero is about developing entrepreneurial graduates who think of creating jobs, not only competing for them. When a cohort of 100 graduates leaves a university, if 5 of them end up creating entrepreneurial undertaking and employing 95 people, they will offset the 95 jobs taken by their fellow graduates. This way we can ensure a steady supply of jobs for everyone. The 5:95 ratio is just an example.
xGTC
Every year, Tech-I organises a global event called the Global Technopreneurship Challenge. It is a competition aimed at addressing few of the 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering. It encompasses a preliminary stage through a massive open online course carried out on Open Learning, the finalist will then be selected and invited to attend the finals in the host city. Each year the competition will be hosted by different cities across the globe. Cities bid for the rights to host the event each year. The first Global Technopreneurship Challenge was held in Kuwait in November 2015, with the preliminary stage held from July to September 2015.
Global Internship Programme
Global Internship Programme is Tech-I's global training platform for individuals who are interested in entrepreneurship and management. The Global Internship Program feeds into the organising committee of the year's GTC. Trainees under the program will experience what it's like to work with people of different cultures and experience the joys and stresses of planning a large scale global event.