JEDDAH, 14 February 2004 — The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the United Nations Industry Development Organization (UNIDO) have announced a joint training program for potential businesswomen and men. It is scheduled to begin today.
“UNIDO will participate in the program’s supervision and execution by contributing its vast experience essential for the success of the venture,” said Chamber of Commerce board member and Small Business Development Center Chairman Ziad Al-Bassam.
“The aim of the program is to adopt the projects and creative ideas in which potential businessmen need to establish.”
The intensive program, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, has accepted 15 women and 30 men as first trainees. It will address a number of key business issues including: evaluation of investment opportunities; organizational and legal procedures; marketing and accounting skills.
Al-Bassam emphasized that what makes this program unique is the mix of core business skills the applicants will be trained for, together with the way it addresses the needs of Jeddah’s growing business community.
Furthermore the program’s objective is to provide young Saudis of both sexes with opportunities and encourage them to employ fellow Saudis when they have established and started to run their own businesses.
He also pointed out that the program has been designed by UNIDO and has been tried out in numerous other countries around the world to assist fledgling businessmen in transforming their investment ideas into successful business concerns in the areas of both service and industry.
The four-week training program will be held at Jeddah’s Center for Small Businesses, which constitutes part of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce.
UNIDO has been in operation for more than 30 years and is a United Nations organization that works with governments, business associations and individual companies to help them solve industrial problems and to equip them to help themselves.
