Tamkeen, Bahrain’s labour fund, has announced plans to launch its first BD170,000 ($448,000) training programme catering solely to Bahraini entrepreneurs.

An agreement was signed yesterday with the Arab International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Investment, which falls under the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) for Tamkeen's Entrepreneurship Workshops Programme, according to the report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The new initiative, which is set to commence in January, seeks to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation among Bahrainis.

The aim is to develop the capabilities of 480 Bahrainis and enterprises in the private sector.

The signing ceremony was attended by Tamkeen's chief executive Mahmood Al Kooheji and the head of Unido in Bahrain Dr Hashim Hussain, along with senior officials from both sides.

"The programme is another step forward in our drive to empower Bahrainis to take control of their future and shift the mindset from jobseekers to job creators," said Al Kooheji.

Twenty-four workshops covering a wide range of areas relevant to entrepreneurs will be conducted by Tamkeen.

The workshops will be held over a two-year period and cover areas such as product/service development, brand identity, resource management, creativity and idea generation, market gap identification and more.

Each workshop will be conducted by a market expert with international experience.

"Entrepreneurship is the lifeblood of all modern economies and we share with Tamkeen the profound desire to put in place the right framework and support programmes to facilitate innovation and sustainably develop the nation's economy," said Dr Hussain.

"This increases the capability of entrepreneurs to create new projects, contribute in the growth of current projects through an investment incentives programme and develop enterprises, which fit in a framework known internationally as the Bahraini Arabic Model."

All Bahrainis who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs are eligible for this programme.

Details on how to register can be found online at arceit.org, the report said. – TradeArabia News Service