Friday, June 22, 2007

Self Employment in Middle East

Everybody remembers first to check the job ads, when we come to employment. Job descriptions, qualifications, responsibilities vary thorugh position features. It is a hard period to wait to wait the result after application; you should be the right person for position announced. You should have challenge with hundreds of applicants to get the job. Every failing result breaks your motivation.

What about to creat yourself the right position for you, hands on experience. We name that effort as entrepreneurship. An entrepreneur risks his own capital, services, and skills in a company to create right position comlying with his qualifications, his skills and his experiences. You do not have hundreds to challenge with to get the job, however it is your own challenge, to build own position. Anyone can start a business! The secret is picking a venture that fits your entrepreneurial personality and skills.

Nowadays, unemployment is the top concern at Middle East and everybody is looking for the right solution to create millions of jobs. Goverments and NGOs are providing extensive efforts to bring longlife projects to create employment for more people in the future.

We at Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs (ALJ-CSP) believe the power of self employment and supporting entrepreneurship spirit with our programs. Since ALJ was established at 2003, thousands of entrepreneurs got supports through our programs. Created businesses already started to create other job opportunities.

We have levels for our self employment programs from 500 SR to million Riyals. We are willing to support all levels of community at their self employment challenge.

Productive Family program focuses on the women at home, who are having job at home to support the family economy. Service (cooking, beauty, etc), commissioning (cosmetic, diet products, etc), producing (cloth, jewelry, etc) are the main topics of home businesses of our clients. Our loaners are not only getting loan support; they are also receiving basic courses, seminars, business supports through our programs with free of charge.

Small Business support programs are getting second level place at our programs. Loan support is starting from 5,000 SR and reaching to 100,000 SR. All clients are receiving a small business start-up course before receiving loan. We want those new entrepreneurs to realize what business is, before facing with the difficulties in the business. Those courses are being arranged with the contribution of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and takes one week. Since, most of the people can not attend to the courses, ALJ-CSP is working on a e-learning solution for small business course and it will be released at the end of Summer 2007. A short interview takes place after course completion to check the understanding and readiness of the entrepreneur. We either expect the entreprenuer to come with his or her project or a business model will be offered to the person.

Project will be reviewed and business plan will be re-worked by our consultants in order to check if it is doable or not. The result of review recommendations will be shared with entrepreneur and loan will be released after both parties satisfaction.

Our consultants for small projects work with entrepreneur if he or she does not have a business idea. Skill test and couple tests directs us to recognize entrepreneur and we come with a business offer for his or her self employment solution.

Taxi and Truck program is one of those projects to offer to the male entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur can buy the vehicle with no profit at the installment for three years to start his business.

Franchising program is also another entreprenurial support program at ALJ-CSP. Small scale franchising opportunities will be provided to the people for their self employment entreprise.

Our aim is to provide a total employment package to the entrepreneurs with our small business projects, loan plus ready – proven business model that will ensure the success and future of the business.

All clients who received loan from ALJ-CSP for their self employment will have monthly visits by the job creation officer (JCO). JCO checks current situation of the business and keeps entrepreneur in touch with the program.

Already, our small business clients started to create new job opportunities and one entreprenerial self employment support is creating more than one job opportunities.

The other main point that is encouraging us is clients that are passing upper levels of programs. Productive Family Program (Microfinance) clients started to establish their companies and to employ other people for their businesses.

As per our records for last three years and entrepreneurship results from all over the world, we believe that self employment is another important solution for unemployment problem. Young talented people at Middle East are looking for such supports to have their own business.

The most successful leaders all over the world always reached to that point, coming from entrepreneurial startups.

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