Dubai, UAE: A revolutionary new program designed to give young students a ringside view of entrepreneurship skills and developing sustainable business is proving to be a great success among high school students in the UAE.

The out-of-the-classroom program, called the Japan Entrepreneur Initiative, has been launched by Compass International Tours to guide the next generation of entrepreneurs through the process of starting their own business. Combining education and entertainment, the eight-day program takes UAE high school students to Japan, one of the most dynamic economies today, and exposes them to some of the successful business concepts and practices through experiential learning methods.

The initiative is designed to guide students through the process of starting their own business, where students create a business with the support of business mentors, leading Japanese corporates and entrepreneurs. During the course of the program, students also hear from CEOs of companies, learn about franchise businesses, and understand how big business enterprises have developed – all in a fun and informal teaching process.

Lissy Donald, Managing Director of Compass International, says, “The program expands the student’s view of what is possible and gives them the hard skills and confidence to actually start their own business one day. Throughout the eight-day trip, students are exposed to the process of starting a business, right from developing an idea, to thinking through the economic viability of that idea, creating a business plan, and understanding how to research the economic elements of a business.”

The Japan Entrepreneurship Initiative builds on the success of similar experiential learning programs launched by Compass such as the NASA Space Camp Initiative and the London Literary Tour.

The inaugural trip, conducted in November 2015, saw more than 17 students and teachers from Dubai visiting important business and entertainment destinations in Japan, including the Osaka Stock Exchange, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Sony Building, Honda Welcome Plaza, Panasonic Centre, Universal Studios Japan, Toyota Mega Web, and Suginami-Ku, Japan’s well-known animation production district, bullet train, among others.

During the trip, the students interacted at close quarters with top government and company officials, along with local entrepreneurs to seek advice on developing their own business ideas. The interactions have helped students in comparing and contrasting different business strategies and ideas.

“Each student has really grown through this dynamic and stimulating learning environment that adds an extra dimension to their own curriculum,” says Donald. “From a teacher standpoint, there’s nothing better than to see students excited about the curriculum and excited about possibly starting their own business one day.”

In addition to the business destinations, children are also entertained by visits to some of the popular entertainment landmarks such as Mount Fuji, Hakone Region, Owakudani Ropeway & Hot Springs, Lake Ashi Cruise, Kyoto Sake Museum, Golden Pavilion Zen temple, Muromachi Period Garden, Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Shrine and Umeda Sky building, among others.