Starting
and running a business takes a lot more than finance. It
requires skills, creativity, innovation, flexibility,
guidance, and a lot of commitment. At the Center for
Business & Employment Services we have classified our
business services in three groups that are complementary
to each other.
Generation of Business Ideas
Perhaps
the single most important element in starting a business
is the viable business idea. We assist entrepreneurs in
generating and developing their business ideas by either
providing them with the Generate Your Business Idea (GYBI)
training; a methodology of the International Labour
Organization (ILO.) This training course is intended for
person interested in starting a business, have some
ideas, but lack a clear form of what the business would
be.
In
addition to GYBI, the Center in cooperation with the
Advocacy and Research Unit at Sharek Youth Forum
identifies business ideas that could work at a local
level. This implies that a set of feasibility studies is
available and are adapted to certain localities in the
West Bank were such projects proved to be lucrative or
have the potential on being so. These ideas will cover
different sectors; from traditional farming ideas to
innovative information technology solutions.
Business Start-up Training
Once the
business idea is formulated, it is imperative now to
build on the capacities of the entrepreneur to develop a
business plan. Nevertheless, in acknowledgement of the
different capacities of entrepreneurs and the different
needs of their projects, three different programs were
developed:
Business
101 training is a compact three day course that allows
potential young entrepreneurs to enhance their personal
skill and business knowledge while developing a simple
business plan to be submitted for revision and
validation at the end of the training.
CEFE Mini-SPICE (5-day)
and SPICE (10-day) implemented in partnership with the
Small Enterprise Center and the Portland Trust. The
course has been redesigned from the 21-day standard CEFE
(Competency based Economic through Formation of
Enterprises) to fit the Palestinian context. The course
is based on more than 20 Structured Learning Exercises (SLEs)
and 20 Energizers where the beneficiaries develop their
personal skills and learn more about the business
environment. Upon completing the course, the
participants will have the tools and skills needed to
systematically plan and prepare for the launching of
their own enterprises. The output of the training is a
business plan of each participant to be presented to
financing institutions at the end of the course.
Business Financing
Businesses run on
resources, and most resources require one form of
financing or another. At the Center, different forms of
financing are available to cater for the different needs
of entrepreneurs and businesses. The focus in the Center
is to have financing collateral-free, implying that
young persons, who typically do not have social or
physical capital, will still qualify for business
financing.
Start-up Grants
The most basic of all
financing services provided at the Center are business
start-up grants. These are limited to impoverished young
persons (must pass the poverty scorecard) and are
limited in size to up to $5,000. The purpose of these
grants is to finance micro project or set the basis for
launch of larger projects, where the entrepreneur can
utilize this grant as collateral for additional
financing.
Equity Financing
Equity
financing is an option available to businesses where
larger investments are needed, or where multiple
entrepreneurs are aiming to launch a business and need
technical and financial support from the Center. In this
module for financing, the Center assumes a minority
share (49% or less,) in the established enterprise as
means to recover its investment in the business. The
exact percentage of shares owned by the Center and the
exit strategy for which entrepreneurs recover their
shares will be agreed upon on case by case basis. As a
shareholder of an enterprise, the Center will be
entitled to profits and liable for losses if
accumulated.
Equipment Leasing
This
service is most tailored to vocational training
graduates, where the Center will invest in equipping
workshops and leasing them with their furniture to
entrepreneurs for a period of time, where afterwards and
on the recovery of its cost, the equipment becomes
property of the entrepreneur and the Center will then
withdraw from the enterprise.
Business Counselling
The
success rates of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
are largely increased if an “incubation” environment is
present. This environment will guarantee that after the
launch of the business, proper coaching and counselling
is in place assuring that the business plan is being
implemented properly and is being adapted to changes in
the environment.
Existing Business
Counselling
Established businesses by the Center automatically
qualify for at least 6-months of free business
counselling. This includes access to our business
incubators in the different areas, our strategic
networks, and our competent business counsellors. The
aim of the service is to ensure that on one hand the
business is doing well and growing, and on the other
that the income generated by this business is being used
by the young entrepreneur properly on consumption,
investment, and saving activities.
Existing Business
Promotion
Business
beyond the 6-month counselling period, or those which
are run by young persons and would like to benefit from
the Center could qualify for business promotion
services. These services are both paid and non-paid and
focus mainly on advertising, branding, and providing
access to markets.
For the
non-entrepreneurs, and for those aiming to start their
professional careers, the Center’s employment services
are provided at an early stage where professionalism
becomes nurtured in young Palestinian on their path to
joining the labour market.
Career Counselling & Advancement
Bridging
the gap between what is being taught at academic and
vocational institutions and what is requested by
employers is what these services are all about. Sessions
are packaged to cater to the needs of students and are
provided free of charge, and in cooperation with our
partners in the private sector.
University Students
A
twelve-session course is provided to third and fourth
year students at most Palestinian universities. Six
basic courses provided to students from all
specializations, and the remaining six are tailored
based on the major of the participating students in the
university. The six basic courses are Communication
Skills, Labour Law, Creative Thinking, Business Ethics,
Writing Your Curriculum Vitae, and Mock Interviewing.
Community Colleges
Students
Eight-session courses are provided, where six are basic
and two are specialized based on the major. The
six-basic courses are Communication Skills, Labour Law,
Creative Thinking, Business Ethics, Writing Your
Curriculum Vitae, and Mock Interviewing
High School Students
Four-session courses are provided focused mainly on
raising awareness of high school students of what is out
there in the job market or the business-start-up field.
These courses are typically Communication Skills,
Entrepreneurship, Job Shadowing Exercise, and Creative
Thinking.
Language Courses
With the
opening up of markets, languages are becoming essential
in most careers and business undertakings. A number of
courses are provided to improve the skills of
individuals in certain languages. These courses are
often paid and are taught be experts in teaching foreign
languages. The center provides the following language
courses, English for Beginners, Arabic for Beginners,
and Business English.
ICT Training
Information and communication technology is imperative
for advancement of young persons careers. Therefore, a
number of paid and non-paid ICT courses are provided by
the Center ranging from simple ICDL courses to advanced
graphics and animation courses.
Job Placement & Matchmaking
Job Fairs and Career
Days
Training in the Field
(Internships)
