Bahrain will host workshops on franchising businesses, vocational training and farming next month, as part of a major drive to help young entrepreneurs, a report said.

Organised by the Capital Governorate, The Manama Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment Week starts on May 7 and will host free workshops for 300 participants, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It is the second phase of an employment project launched by the governorate last year and aims to encourage people to set up their own businesses to boost the economy.

"The forum is a true initiative that creates an appropriate opportunity for promising youngsters to enhance their creativity and talent," Capital Governorate strategic planning and projects management head Yusuf Lori told the GDN.

"The governorate is keen to promote initiatives aimed at encouraging and developing business pioneering not only within the capital but throughout Bahrain.

"The launch of this event comes as part of a series of projects that have been organised recently by the governorate and received overwhelming response from people and the government.

"Furthermore, due to the recent launch of the Unemployment Training Programme, the governorate in collaboration with strategic partners provided training on various professional and academic skills in order to provide the labour market with qualified human resources.

"Students can register online on www.manamaweek.com and they will have a chance to attend the forum and join different workshops."

One of the workshops, focusing on the importance of education, will be hosted by the Bahrain Training Institute (BTI).

Training

"BTI seeks to address and stress the importance of technical education and vocational training," said BTI training consultant Sana Al Khooheji.

"[As well as] diversification of means of education and training in the field of vocational and technical education."

Entrepreneurs can also learn about franchises during a workshop to be held at New York Coffee.

"There is a great benefit to the economy by educating and encouraging the young about various pathways to own their business," said group marketing manager Usman Ali.

"In specific, we will be talking about owning and running a franchise business which is generally easier to start and operate as compared to investing in something new.

"We will be covering a broad range of topics regarding franchising, business models, finding the right franchise opportunity and how to finance a franchise."

Other workshops by Takaud, Standard Chartered Bank, Batelco, Family Bank, Bahrain SMEs and Citibank Bahrain will also be held.

The week will kick off with a forum at the Diplomat Radisson Blu, Hotel Residence and Spa on May 7, where speakers will include former Talabat.com chief executive Mohammed Jaffar and celebrated author, broadcaster and lecturer Dr William Baker.

The workshops will be held at the Applied Science University. – TradeArabia News Service