SBWC launches enterprise training in Dibba Al Hisn

SHARJAH / Emirates Business

The second phase of the JEEL initiative launches its competitive Entrepreneurial Business Plan Development Training workshop. Offered by the Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) in collaboration with Education For Employment (EFE), the training will utilize Intel’s world-class curriculum.
The training will begin on Sunday and will provide participants with 70 hours of training over a two month period. The workshop offers intensive training in innovation and entrepreneurship along with business coaching for both men and women in Dibba Al Hisn so that they can contribute to the economic growth of Sharjah and the UAE.
This second phase of the JEEL initiative is building on the success of the first phase. Launched in December 2015, during phase one 60 young women and men from Dibba Al Hisn participated in a 3-day Business Ideation Camp and were challenged to design and pitch a business idea or product to enhance the tourism sector of Dibba Al Hisn.
In this second phase, SBWC and EFE will evaluate the strength, potential and value of the business ideas presented by the candidates. In this more competitive process, candidates are required to submit their proposed business idea and participate in one-on-one interviews. SBWC and EFE will then select the twenty most promising candidates based on their proposals. Through a formal startup planning process, the candidates will transform their business ideas into executable business plans that can be shared with funders to secure startup capital.
H.E. Ameera BinKaram, Deputy Chairperson of “NAMA” Women Advancement Establishment and Chairperson of SBWC, said, “The first phase of the JEEL initiative was a huge success where we had 50 women participate. Working under the “NAMA” umbrella, SBWC always aims to empower women both professionally and financially so that they can prosper in society. Women are a very core part of society and if we make an effort to integrate them into the economy, it will only benefit the UAE on all levels including economically and socially.”
BinKaram added: “The chosen group will be given access to tools and information needed to write a professional business plan along with one-on-one mentorship and feedback as their plan begins to take shape. Alongside classroom training, participants will spend time outside working on assignments that will take them one step closer to their entrepreneurial dreams.”
“At the end of the two-month training program, SBWC and EFE will organize a Business Plan Competition, where participants will pitch their business ideas and winners will have the opportunity to get involved with the state-of-the-art business incubators called “Anwan Pods” set up by SBWC in Souq Anwan, Dibba Al Hisn,” added BinKaram
EFE’s JEEL Program Director, Mr. Saro Nakashian, said, “I was very impressed by the commitment, enthusiasm and innovative ideas generated during the Business Ideation Camp. Everyone was fully engaged and eager to learn the basic principles of business startups to take an idea to completion.”
Khadija Al Naqbi, who participated in the first phase of the JEEL initiative, said, “It was a great experience participating the programme and generating ideas, discussing the problems start-ups face and coming up with solutions as well as thinking of ways to market the business. I am excited to apply for the second phase and hope I’m chosen so that I can formalize a business plan.”

EFE’s Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships, Mrs. Jasmine Nahhas Di Florio, said, “EFE and SBWC share a focus on improving the economic and professional prospects of women and youth. We are delighted that over 80% of the participants in the first phase were female and we hope to see the same level of participation from women in the second phase to further support female entrepreneurs in Dibba Al Hisn.”

SBWC was established in 2002 and aims to create and enhance the professional environment for women as well as train and prepare them to enter the private sector and enhance their participation in social and economic development. To achieve this aim, SBWC engages in delivering a range of programs and initiatives including conferences, seminars, workshops and research that supports potential and existing entrepreneurs in Sharjah. It also forges partnerships with government, private organisations and foundations in the UAE and beyond.

Education For Employment (EFE) is the leading nonprofit dedicated to youth employment and economic opportunity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The internationally-renowned EFE model focuses on partnerships with the business, education and government sectors to provide unemployed youth with world-class professional and technical training that leads directly to jobs and entrepreneurship support. EFE has a strong track record in entrepreneurship training and its network of trainers and experts across MENA will provide insights in conducting awareness sessions, market research, and program ideation, design, and implementation of the Jeel Initiative.