Date: October 5, 2015
Zubair Small Enterprises Centre launched its third round of the Direct Support Programme (DSP) under the auspices of Khalid bin Muhammad Al Zubair, Managing Director of The Zubair Corporation, and the presence of members of executive management from The Zubair Corporation and other organisations interested in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector. The third round of the programme came as a direct result of the outstanding success of the first two rounds which included 18 small businesses in various sectors.
A number of speakers participated in the launch ceremony, including Nasra Al Ma’mari, owner of Velvet Touch and a winner of DSP for 2015; Shabib AL Ma’mari, Executive Director of Injaz Oman, a strategic partner of Zubair SEC; and Yashpal Mehta, Managing Director of Keynote Services and a volunteer specialized advisor at Zubair SEC.
Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme rewards members who prove throughout their work with the Centre their commitment towards success and dedication in applying the consultancy and advice provided to them by the Zubair SEC team. These members’ projects and businesses should also reflect proper strategic planning and accurate feasibility studies that reflect their owners’ eagerness to apply best business administration measures with the assistance of Zubair SEC.
Accordingly, selected members for the Direct Support Programme receive additional direct advisory and consultancy services as well as a financial grant to support their businesses. Although all members of Zubair SEC benefit from advisory and training services, financial facilitation, and support that the Centre and its network of cooperative partners provide, only a specific number of members get selected every year for the Direct Support Programme, as an approach to create positive competitiveness amongst members and to encourage them to work harder and be more committed and dedicated towards achieving their objectives and ambitions.
Khalid bin Muhammad Al Zubair, Managing Director of The Zubair Corporation said: “Since the launch of the idea of establishing Zubair SEC to be a key platform to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, our greatest concern was how to maintain a successful continuation of providing sound services for Omani youth. Having set our objective for sustainable and successful performance we have not only limited our goals to attracting entrepreneurs and granting memberships in Zubair SEC but rather based our vision and mission on excellence and innovative ideas that contribute to the development of small enterprises and present it as a new contribution to the economic development in the Sultanate”.
He added: “Today’s Direct Support Programme is functioning as a complete unit of institutional values that are adopted by The Zubair Corporation in general and Zubair SEC in particular. The programme progresses with every stage and further value is being introduced in every round. During the third round, for example, we have assigned a special winner seat for a social entrepreneur in attempt to further promote the social entrepreneurship concept which is relatively new in the country and which also demonstrates the positive role of businesses in the society. Furthermore, one of The Zubair companies is offering to adopt one of the DSP winners for a whole sale opportunity which will be made available in collaboration with The Zubair Corporation and Zubair SEC”.
Khalid Al Zubair also pointed out a crucial aspect in his statement which is the importance of competition among entrepreneurs, saying: “competitiveness has a positive value in supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners, as it sparks the spirit of challenge within themselves and with each other, igniting their desire for persistence to achieve success and progress. The programme also plays an integral role with regard to communication with official institutions and authorities supporting entrepreneurship programmes”.
The number of beneficiaries of the Direct Support Programme has reached 18 members during the previous two rounds of the programme. Statistics indicate an increase in the proportion of women entrepreneurs in the second version of the programme compared to the first version, with a ratio of 60% during the second round of 2015.
The work team of the programme have further developed the selection criteria and conditions to be applied, adding a marked progress in the quality of the projects selected for the programme. The criteria covered the social impact aspect of each applying project in an attempt by the Centre to encourage its members to be aware of this impact while designing and running their businesses.
The main terms and conditions for applying to the program are:
- All Omanis are welcome to apply provided they are above the age of 18
- Applicants should have a clear understanding of the type of business they have
- Applicants need to present a business plan
- Applicants need to be members at Zubair SEC; none-members are welcome to sign up at the Centre then apply for the Direct Support Programme during the application period
The Centre will accept new applications from current and new members to join the programme and during the three months following the launch of the third round, projects and the performance of their owners will be assessed accordingly. The selected new winners will be announced in January 2016 to enjoy the advantages of the Direct Support Programme for the year 2016. The last date to submit applications to enrol in the programme is Thursday, 5 November 2015.
For more information on Zubair SEC and the Direct Support Programme, please contact the Communications Office at info@zubairsec.org or call 24737325 for further assistance.