Entrepreneurial skills of Omani youth need to be polished to enable them to work successfully in the private sector, says Shabib Al’Maamari, Executive Dierctor of INJAZ Oman.
Could you tell us what INJAZ is?
INJAZ is a non-profit organisation, part of a global organisation called Junior Achievements Worldwide which was established back in 1919 and has its presence in over 120 countries. We are an economical education organisation, with three pillars – entrepreneurship, financial literacy and workforce readiness. The training or awareness programmes that we run are free of cost. Our target audience are students aged 5 to 24.
We have a bundle of different programmes that cater to the needs of the market – what is out there and what needs to be taught to the youth through customized programmes that cater the needs of the private sector. We inform the students about the skills they need to be successful in the private sector and the different opportunities that are present in this sector. We also give guidance on how to start a new business.
The uniqueness about INJAZ is the model itself and the philosophy behind it. We use private sector professionals who have years of experience in their field of expertise as volunteers. We provide these professionals with training on how to use our programme and materials to its full potential. Once they acquire the necessary training, they conduct workshops and share their experience and knowledge through this programme with potential students.
Our workshops are 3-5 hours long followed by a 6 months programme. One volunteer will meet every week for 2 hours and help the students to start a real business with real money and manage the operations of the start up. The idea behind this programme is to go through the life cycle of a real company. At the end of this programme, it is the choice of the students to continue with the company or look for different opportunities.
Does INJAZ Oman operate in the same lines as Information Technology Authority’s and National Business Center’s incubators?
Yes, but our programme is in relation with pre-incubation as we work with students. The students are made aware of the different challenges and benefits of becoming an entrepreneur and running a business. Technology today is moving fast and the driver is the private sector. It is our aim to keep the youth informed about the new technologies being used and the wants in the private sector in order to cater the needs of private sector.
How was the idea generated to bring INJAZ in Oman?
INJAZ is a global organisation. There were talks between the regional office, INJAZ AL’ARAB and the Government of Oman to bring in the Chapter of INJAZ to Oman. The Government had sensed the need of such programmes for the younger generation who are under 25 years of age. There are infinite number of opportunities in the private sector but there is a deficit in the skills. Majority of the young crowd wants to work in the public sector. Hence, this programme can showcase the different opportunities in private sector.
You had mentioned earlier that you have a strategic partnership with the National Business Centre. Could you tell us about the partnership?
From 2006-2010, we operated solely in schools. In 2011, we tested one of the programmes in colleges. The results indicated the demand for the programme in colleges. After the Arab spring, the demand for entrepreneurial educational programmes in higher education hiked. The need was not being filled by any one. Therefore, we decided to bridge this gap.
We launched our first competition in colleges in 2012, targeting the age group of 18-25 years. The idea was to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship by teaching the students to run an authentic business, with real money from their own pockets, develop a genuine product; something creative that was not created before and run the business for 6 months and at the end of the 6 months, liquidate the operations. The offset of the competition was, many students did not want to liquidate their operations and therefore registered their student company at the Ministry of Commerce without our guidance.
This sparked excitement in us but we did not have any programmes that could help these students further who wanted to continue running their business. We realised that we needed to come out with a scheme and consequently we partnered with NBC. We came to an agreement that after the completion of the programme, students still interested to run their business will get an opportunity to continue in the incubator of NBC. We have the same partnership with Zubair SEC.
What were some of the challenges faced initially and what are the challenges that INJAZ is still facing?
The biggest hindrance for us is funding. We definitely cannot work without funds. Secondly, recruiting volunteers is a tedious task. We require individuals with experience as well as the right attitude – a person who is willing to stand in front of 50 students, sharing his experience with them and inspiring them to work in the private sector.
The future for INJAZ looks bright definitely but what more plans do you have for the organisation?
We are looking forward to introduce more programmes that teach the basic skills of entrepreneurship. Hypothetically speaking, if we convince 10 students to start a business, we have 10 new businesses. These businesses need to employ other people to help achieve their goals. This is where the problem arises. It is difficult to convince the youth to join a start-up when they have the opportunity to join the Government or a big corporation. We are working on changing this mind-set.
A study (Education for Employment 2011 by IFC) shows 45 to 65 per cent of GCC graduates lack the basic skills that the private sector needs like, team work, critical thinking, written communication, and much more. These soft skills are not provided by our educational system to the students. The study was done by interviewing 1500 top CEO’s from top-notch companies in the GCC. Unanimous decision was made on a set of 20 skills GCC graduates lack. Hence, we are working on introducing these requirements.
What’s the way ahead?
I think the potential is huge for entrepreneurs at the moment in Oman. The thinking needs to be changed though. One does not need to wait for the Government to babysit them. The Government will help, no doubt. But if you are serious about your business, go regional, go global, why wait? There is no better way to prove yourself. The mind-set that the business will fail if the government provides no help must be changed.