Rami Olwan

More than 180 businesspeople and professionals, including 72 women, are participating in a major business training initiative which started on Sunday.

The “Beyond Effectiveness Initiative” provides training programmes for managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), chief executive officers (CEOs) of family business, businesswomen, doctors, engineers and lawyers among other professionals.

“The initiative will provide professional business training and capacity-building programmes to major players in the Kingdom’s economy,” Stetieh said.

He indicated that the training programme includes women business leadership which aims at enhancing capabilities of female business entrepreneurs by covering topics needed for their businesses such as business plans, management skills and planning for growth.

Hala Zawati, owner and manager of a company that provides audio guide services for tourist sites, said she attended the training course in order to add some theoretical knowledge to her 20-year practical experience in business.

“We have plans to expand our business to other countries so it is important to listen to well-known experts on how to enter new markets,” Zawati noted.

After the programme is concluded, 30 women will receive an intensive mentorship programme in the US by well-recognised businesswomen to share their experiences and expertise, the BDC chief said.

Other programmes include driving business growth for middle managers, leadership and global management for SMEs and family business owners, family business governance for CEOs and a programme called “MBA in a Day” which provides professionals and emerging leaders with current business concepts.

Professor Steven Stralser from Thunderbird School and author of the “MBA in a Day” book said that the course seeks to provide training to entrepreneurs, who have a business or want to start a new one, on leadership skills and how to create business plans.

“There are participants who started a business without setting up plans and they succeeded, but to enter new markets and to attract investors there should be a business plan,” he added.

Noura Nashef, an operation officer for a consulting company, said the course tackled obstacles that women in Jordan face in order to be leaders in various fields.

“I will always participate in courses that seek to empower women in business as my ambition is to be a business leader in 10 years,” she elaborated.

Professor Mary De Luque, another trainer from Thunderbird Schools stressed the importance of networking between businesswomen, saying that women need more opportunities to utilise their capabilities.

“There are good signs in Jordan that more opportunities for women are going to open as leaders not only in business but in various fields,” De Luque said.

However, during the inauguration ceremony of the event on Saturday, USAID Director to Jordan Jay Knott said that although Jordan has the largest percentage of educated women, their participation in the workforce and as business leaders needs to grow.

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Suhair Al-Ali said the private sector, business associations and owners must model “best practices” and advocate for changes that meet today’s global challenges.

Successful businesses are encouraged to invest in developing their workforces and adopting life-long learning programmes, she indicated.

“In order to achieve world-class competitiveness and consolidating Jordan’s global position in the international economic arena, we have initiated a wide-ranging set of reforms in the legislative, judicial, educational, fiscal and administrative areas,” Al-Ali stated.

Tatweer is an economic development project funded by the USAID and managed by BDC and its main objective is to increase the competitiveness of Jordanian SME's locally, regionally and internationally.

Source:

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=14142