Injaz UAE announced the ‘Glights Team’ as the winner of the ‘Best Student Company of the Year 2011’and ‘Best Marketing Plan’ awards last week at the annual INJAZ UAE Company Program Competition, hosted in Dubai Knowledge Village. Glights beat out seven other teams in the final round, advancing to represent the UAE in a regional competition against counterparts in 14 Arab countries in October of this year.

Fifty-five high school students competed in the event after completing The JA Company Program, during which they received mentorship and instruction in key entrepreneurial concepts and skills that will help them establish their own small scale business ventures.

The ‘Glights’ team won after impressing the judges with their sustainable business which aimed to reduce pollution by producing a solar light. The team was mentored by Intel Corporation volunteers Tamer Shabana and Nawras Sawsou who spent 6 months working with the students on the planning and development of their business.

Other winners included Amal Omar for “CEO of the Year” from Al Salam School, and “Most Innovative Product” to team Jeanags from Maria Qubtiah School.

The event was held in partnership with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and sponsored by Boeing and ExxonMobil to emphasize the public-private role in supporting such initiatives.

Commenting on the event, Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan, Chairman of the Bin Zayed Group and Chairman of INJAZ-UAE, noted “Entrepreneurship education is at the forefront of the Middle East agenda and it is vital for students to be presented with as many experiences and opportunities as possible to prepare them for the workplace. This requires a collaborative effort between educators and the private sector to fill the gap in this area and we’re pleased INJAZ UAE can play a positive role facilitating that.”