ISLAMABAD: The team from Abbottabad has won the National Final Award for Young Entrepreneurs (NFTE) with their business idea of making printed materials accessible to the visually impaired.
Prince’s Trust International’s global research into the future of work showed that a quarter of young people in Pakistan are interested in entrepreneurship for their careers.
The awards were hosted by the British High Commissioner, Jane Marriott, said a news release issued here on Sunday.
Enterprise Challenge Pakistan is an annual inter-school business competition, a joint initiative from Prince’s Trust International and SEED Ventures. Launched in 2016, the programme enables school students to learn practical business skills through coaching, mentoring and an online business simulation game. More than 90% of the participants from previous cycles reported positive feedback on their knowledge and attitudes towards entrepreneurship and improvement in skills such as confidence, teamwork, problem-solving, decision making and creative thinking.
The programme works to enable young people to develop key entrepreneurial skills through business, pitching, mentorship and an online business simulation game.
Each year Prince’s Trust International, in partnership with SEED Ventures, celebrates the achievements of young people in Pakistan.
The event featured seven promising start-up ideas selected from regional competitions held throughout the country. Prizes were handed out celebrating innovation, climate friendliness, financial viability and impact.
The overall winning team, Roshni pitched the idea of making printed materials for the visually impaired including an education book and a braille transcription service. The team were also awarded the category of Most Impactful (Social-Inclusion).
Enterprise Challenge Pakistan is the premier platform for aspiring entrepreneurs in the country and has been described by Forbes as one of the ‘five leading global programmes supporting the next generation’.
During the events, Sara from Karachi was presented with the award for Global Young Achiever – Asia 2023 for her ingenious business idea of plantable pencils.
Global Young Achiever Award Winner Sara said “Enterprise Challenge Pakistan opened up my mind and allowed me to realise that I can contribute to society and become self-sufficient.”
British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, CMG OBE said, “These extraordinary individuals should be proud of their efforts to drive entrepreneurship and increase their sense of social and environmental responsibility. It’s exactly why we must empower more young people to do so, and I commend Enterprise Challenge Pakistan for pushing that forward.”
