Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) is launching Mobtakir, a maker diploma and fast-track programme that aims to equip entrepreneurs with the knowledge and basic hands-on skills, in addition to local market knowledge necessary to venture into innovative product-based businesses.

The diploma, which is due to commence on 27th May, 2023, in collaboration with Colab, will initially run for seven weeks until mid-July and then resume in early September 2023.

Mobtakir falls under the umbrella of Al Quoz Creative Zone and was designed in partnership with The Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME), one of the corporations of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). The diploma, which includes 14 modules and workshops, will be delivered across a host of venues in Al Quoz by technical experts from different industries, highlighting the vast array of resources available to makers in the area, as well as aiming to create a community of like-minded, locally conceived, capable and resourceful makers with nearby market knowledge and capabilities.

Khulood Khoory, Director of the Projects and Events Department at Dubai Culture, said, “At Dubai Culture, we recognise the importance of talent development in our emirate’s cultural and creative industries. The Mobtakir programme is a perfect example of our commitment to nurturing and empowering local creators and makers. We believe this programme will equip entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and knowledge to turn their product ideas into successful businesses. We are excited to see the impact that Mobtakir will have on the maker community in the UAE and are proud of this initiative, which will bring us closer to the objectives of the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy to make the emirate the global creative economy capital by increasing the contribution of these industries to 5 percent of our GDP.”

The diploma incorporates soft and hard skill development in three main areas and culminates in implementing learnings via a Makathon competition between allocated groups and assigned projects. Attainment of this diploma will provide participants with a fundamental skillset and understanding of what it takes to perceive a product from concept to manufacturing. A key goal of the initiative is to highlight tangible opportunities and possibilities in hardware entrepreneurship and motivate prospects to consider this domain of entrepreneurship as a viable and feasible venue for personal and career growth while also shaping expectations and understanding of what it entails to venture into this field.

Saeed Matar Al Marri, Deputy CEO of Dubai SME, stated, “Dubai SME recognises the importance of strategic partnerships that stimulate Dubai's economic growth and promote diversification. We are thrilled to see the launch of the Mobtakir programme, as it aligns with our commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and empowering talent. This initiative will facilitate the growth of the maker community by equipping them with the essential resources and expertise to establish innovative product-based companies. Our collaboration with Dubai Culture will undoubtedly aid us in achieving the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which are centred on advancing entrepreneurship and innovation, and promoting a knowledge-based economy to further consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the top three global cities.”

Mobtakir promotes awareness of prototyping technologies, resources, knowledge and skills that are increasingly at the disposal of regular non-technical individuals, with a particular focus on the capabilities available in Al Quoz. Ultimately, the objective is to equip participants with fundamental hands-on skills and applied knowledge to engage directly in planning and execution of product development and acquire ability to correspond and work with different technical teams and industries. The diploma, which has been accredited by the KHDA, has been designed to provide a standardised qualification and local methodology to nurture innovation organically starting with individual entrepreneurs.

Applications are currently open and without charge to all residents in the UAE, including students, professionals, small business owners or employees who lead entrepreneurial or innovation endeavours in their organisations. Applicants have until 20th May, 2023, to submit their applications for this non-technical diploma with limited capacity, designed for all community members who have a keen interest in a product idea, passion, or vision for innovation in their field but might lack the know-how to start.

“No previous experience or skill is required; however, applicants who show a keen business vision and possess enough passion and dedication to pursue their product ideas will certainly have an advantage as the aim of the scheme is to qualify entrepreneurs and increase their chances of success in innovating and commercialising new products in our local market. Mobtakir builds on a prior diploma developed and launched in 2018 by Dubai Economy in collaboration with OriginBase. This latest iteration factors in all of the learnings from the earlier programme to offer prospects a new and comprehensive diploma that will certainly elevate and empower the maker community in the UAE,” Richard Wilson, Founder and Creative Director, of Colab, said in conclusion.