Day Two at Tamkeen Expo Ends on a High Note

Event held under the patronage of Tamkeen Chairman HE Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa

Manama, Tuesday, 8 January 2013: Large crowds have continued to throng to the Gulf Hotel for the second and final day of the Tamkeen Expo. The two-day event featured interactive workshops and an exhibition that are part of Tamkeen's ongoing efforts to enhance the capabilities of Bahrainis and enterprises in the private sector, in line with Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030.

Over 2000 exhibitors and delegates registered for the event, which was held under the patronage of Tamkeen's Chairman H.E. Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa. With its integrated events and elite group of renowned expert speakers, the Tamkeen Expo served as a major knowledge-sharing platform for entrepreneurs and the private sector at large, and enabled the general public to learn more about Tamkeen's various support programmes and opportunities through the participation of entrepreneurs who have benefited from such programmes.

Tamkeen's Chairman H.E. Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, commented on the conclusion of the second day of Tamkeen Expo, "We are immensely pleased with the large turnout for the Tamkeen Expo from both the private sector and general public. Tamkeen is the private sector's partner to success, and we hope to see more Bahrainis take advantage of its support to achieve their potential, because in the end, our success is measured by their success."

The event's interactive workshops were completely booked prior to the event. Over 700 people attended the first day workshops, while 1100 attended the second day. The workshops covered important topics such as Social Media, Marketing Strategy, Quality Systems Enhancement, Business Planning, Exhibitions, e-tendering and Entrepreneurship.

Ali Sabkar, Founder & President of the Social Media Club - Bahrain and moderator of the workshop on "Social media toolkit for entrepreneurs" at Tamkeen Expo commented: "The event brought together entrepreneurs and businessmen under one roof, which represents an excellent marketplace for networking and knowledge-sharing. The workshop attendees were highly interested in learning how to utilize the various social media platforms available for them to promote their products and offerings. The turnout was great, and I believe it should be organised every year to keep the business community updated on the latest trends and opportunities available."

Mr. Hussain Al Doseri, Nurse at Bahrain Defense Force Hospital, attended Tamkeen Expo 2013 and commented on his participation and said "I am considering opening my own business in the future. Therefore, I was keen on attending the workshop on entrepreneurship, which explained how to develop a business in a systemic and professional manner. I feel I have benefited a great deal from the workshop, whereby the instructor delivered the information in a smooth and interactive manner."

The Tamkeen Expo exhibition featured 80 Bahraini entrepreneurs from a broad range of sectors who benefited from Tamkeen's support programmes to establish and grow their business. In addition, around 33 service providers were on hand to showcase the various support programmes Tamkeen offers and how to benefit from them.

Naser Al Shuwaikh, Manager at Automax, a beneficiary and an exhibitor at Tamkeen Expo, said: "Tamkeen supported us through a programme called Techania, which allowed us to subsidise a large percentage of the cost of some of our equipment. We've also been given this opportunity to showcase our "We come to where you are" car service, which we have received very good feedback about it at the Expo so far."

Basma Al Khaiyer, Zubaiyda Al Khaiyer, Fatema Al Khaiyer, attended the Expo and commented on the Expo. "The expo was very organised and it contained a wealth of valuable information, which allowed us to find opportunities and methods for career growth. We also came to inquire about Tamkeen's programmes. We found many, but the most interesting to us was the ACCA professional certification of which Tamkeen will subsidise the cost of the training fees."

Asma'a Al-Maraghi, Client Relations Coordinator at Third Wave International, also commented on their participation: "We are partners with Tamkeen for HR development, and Training and Education Performance Support, therefore we're very happy to be at the Tamkeen Expo which has seen visitors of different backgrounds that showed very good interest in our programmes"

More than 66,000 Bahraini individuals and enterprises in Bahrain have benefited from Tamkeen programmes to date, and the total number is expected to rise to more than 100,000.

About Tamkeen
Tamkeen is an initiative funded by the private sector for the private sector, tasked with developing Bahrain's private sector and positioning it as the key driver of economic development. Established in August 2006, Tamkeen is one of the cornerstones of Bahrain's national reform initiatives and Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.

Tamkeen has two primary objectives: Firstly, fostering the creation and development of enterprises, and secondly, providing support to enhance the productivity and growth of enterprises and individuals.

Under each of those objectives, certain mechanisms and innovative support initiatives have been put in place by Tamkeen to address current and future gaps for individuals and enterprises in the private sector that have been identified by thorough studies of the labour market landscape. To date, Tamkeen has created 180 such support programmes.

For Bahrainis, Tamkeen's programmes range from developing the skills and capabilities of Bahrain's human capital, to promoting sound workplace ethics and training on leadership and management best practices, among others. For enterprises, Tamkeen provides programmes which offer enterprises with subsidised business support services, facilitate access to financing to bridge the enterprise financing gap, and enable entrepreneurship, to name a few.

As of end of 2012, Tamkeen's programmes have benefited 65,000 Bahrainis and enterprises in the private sector, and allocated more than BD 292.5 million to the sector for its ongoing and completed programmes. In all, more than 100,000 beneficiaries are expected to benefit from these support programmes.

Tamkeen's human capital development programmes have benefited more than 47,000 Bahrainis, including funding training for nearly 30,000 Bahrainis. In addition, they enabled a further 3,500 Bahrainis to find gainful employment, and more than 2,000 Bahrainis to obtain professional certifications in their respective fields.

For enterprises, nearly 19,000 enterprises have benefited from Tamkeen's support programmes, including enabling more than 4,900 enterprises to get low-cost capital through its BD210 million financing portfolio, and more than 4,500 enterprises to enhance their performance through its subsidised business support services.

In parallel, Tamkeen's programmes have played a key role in institutionalising new concepts within Bahrain's private sector, including SME and micro-financing, entrepreneurship as a viable career path, women empowerment, modern accounting and auditing systems within SMEs, and many other paradigms needed for a vibrant sustainable private sector.

Tamkeen's funds come from 50% of the fees collected from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority.

For more information about our programmes, please call:
Tamkeen
Telephone: 17383333
Fax: 17382352
e-Mail: support@tamkeen.bh
Website : www.tamkeen.bh
http://www.facebook.com/TamkeenBahrain
http://twitter.com/TamkeenBahrain
http://www.youtube.com/TamkeenBahrain
http://www.linkedin.com/company/tamkeen
http://instagram.com/TamkeenBahrain