Date: June 23, 2014
After a year since its establishment in June 2013, Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) and The Zubair Corporation celebrate a year of accomplishments and construction, and launch the second round of the Zubair SEC Direct Support Programme 2014-2015 at Bait Al Zubair in Muscat. The celebration was held under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Zubair, Managing Director of The Zubair Corporation with the presence of a number of executive management representatives from both public and private institutions and organisations that support small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship in The Sultanate.
The celebration started with a speech by Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Zubair saying: “The success of small enterprises relies significantly on the capabilities of business entrepreneurs; hence, one of the most important objectives of Zubair SEC has been to add true value to the small enterprises sector and affect change, and enforce the efforts towards developing those capabilities and raise the culture of self-employment and entrepreneurship amongst Omani youth. This can only be achieved through synergizing the efforts made by the government and the private sector with education and market demands, and such education does not only involve educational institutions, but also the practical and implementation space that can be prepared for Omani young entrepreneurs and business owners, in a way that contributes to the blessed renaissance and the royal vision of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, may God grant him long life”.
He also clarified that Zubair SEC stands on three key pillars; reaching out to entrepreneurs and small business owners; building strategic partnerships for the members with public and private institutions and organisations that aim at supporting small enterprises locally and regionally; and thirdly, empowering and equipping entrepreneurs to succeed sustainably in their projects.
The audience was also approached by a number of key players in Zubair SEC’s journey, including Mr Hani Obeid, Member of Zubair SEC Advisory Board; Mr R. Narasimhan, Deputy General Manager and Head Retail and Banking at Bank Sohar, which is one of the cooperative partners of Zubair SEC; and Ms Sherry Colbourn, President of Social Mogul Marketing and one of the volunteering mentors at Zubair SEC; as well as Ms Jokha Al Husaini, Founder and CEO of Shumookh Engineering Consulting, and a member at Zubair SEC who has been selected for the first Direct Support Programme 2013-2014.
Through this celebration, Zubair SEC and The Zubair Corporation renew their commitment towards supporting and developing the Small Enterprises sector in The Sultanate, and launch the second round of its Direct Support Programme which rewards the Centre’s members who join its membership through their existing small businesses or concepts of businesses that they want to establish and 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 SECteam. 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 extra direct advisory and consultancy services in addition to a financial grant to support their businesses.
And although all members of Zubair SEC benefit from the 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.
The first group of members selected for Zubair SEC Direct Support Programme was announced in December 2013, and today after the launching of the second round of the programme, Zubair SEC, for the duration of two months, will start receiving applications by existing members or new members to be considered for the programme. Applied projects and businesses will be assessed as well as the performance if the members throughout the coming months, and accordingly in December 2014, Zubair SEC will announce the new selected group of members for 2014-2015.
For those interested to join Zubair SEC and apply for the programme, they need to call the Centre at (+968)24527777 or send an email to info@zubairsec.org to receive and fill the membership application form. As for existing members of Zubair SEC who would want to apply for the Direct Support Programme, they would only need to send an email to the Centre mentioning their interest in applying, and the name brief and type of their business that is already registered at the Centre.
Zubair SEC is one of the initiatives which emanated from The Zubair Corporation’s Social Responsibility strategic vision towards the Omani society. The vision reflects the corporation’s belief in the importance of small enterprises (SEs) in enhancing the national economy and contributing to sustainable socio-economic development. The centre comprises a team of socially engaged and business savvy advisors who put all effort to contribute to leveraging the Omani community through equipping and enabling entrepreneurs and start-ups to grow with their businesses in a sustainable and responsible manner. Since its launch in 2013, Zubair SEC has joined to its membership 94 small businesses and around 130 entrepreneurs from all sectors of the economy to benefit from its services and support.
About Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC)
Established in June 2013, the Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) is one of the initiatives which emanated from The Zubair Corporation’s Social Responsibility strategic vision towards the Omani society. The vision reflects the corporation’s belief in the importance of small enterprises (SEs) in enhancing the national economy and contributing to sustainable socio-economic development. The centre extends business mentorship and guidance to Oman’s promising member entrepreneurs as well as financial support to selected entrepreneurs every year, to help them succeed and grow in a sustainable manner.
For more information on Zubair SEC, please contact the Communications Office at info@zubairsec.org