Manama, Sunday 9 December 2012:

As part of its efforts to improve the capabilities of Bahrainis and enterprises in the private sector, Tamkeen announced that it will hold the "Tamkeen Expo" at the Gulf Hotel in Manama, Bahrain between the 7th and 8th of January 2013.

The event is envisioned to be a valuable knowledge and expertise-sharing opportunity for entrepreneurs in particular and the private sector in general. In addition, the Expo will promote Tamkeen's various support programmes to the general public through entrepreneurs who are Tamkeen beneficiaries.

The "Tamkeen Expo" will consist of a conference, workshops, and exhibition. The opening ceremony to be held on January 7th is expected to be attended by more than 400 people.

The ceremony consists of an address from Tamkeen highlighting major milestones achieved in the empowerment of the private sector since its establishment.

This will be followed by addresses from the event's two keynote speakers focusing on the importance of entrepreneurship and the crucial role the private sector plays in advancing economic development and achieving prosperity.

The workshops will be led by prominent experts who will share international best practices across a range of areas of key interest to entrepreneurs and SME owners in Bahrain, such as creating marketing strategies, implementing quality management systems, using social media, maximising benefits from exhibitions, e-Tendering, explaining key aspects to entrepreneurship success, and  shaping strategic plans. The workshops will be held over the two days of the conference and will utilise an open interactive approach, with each session accommodating a maximum of 100 participants.

The Tamkeen Exhibition will bring together a wide-ranging group of entrepreneurs who benefited from Tamkeen's various support programmes to showcase their enterprises, products and services to the public. In addition, the entrepreneurs will serve as living examples of the impact that Tamkeen's programmes had, and continue to have on their businesses, as well as encouraging other budding entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses.

The exhibition will include space for Tamkeen's partners and service providers, who will be on hand to engage with the public on the support programmes that Tamkeen provides and assist people who wish to apply to these programmes.

Tamkeen's Chief Executive Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji commented: "We are delighted to announce the launch of this comprehensive and noteworthy event, which provides entrepreneurs, business owners, the private sector, and Bahraini society at large with an opportunity to see first-hand how Tamkeen can enable them to build their capabilities and Achieve their Potential."

Participation in the "Tamkeen Expo" is free of charge, requiring only pre-registration through the event's website (www.tamkeen.bh/tamkeenexpo). Those interested in taking part must send the completed form on the website either by email to: tamkeenexpo@tamkeen.bh , or by fax to 17211640. They can also register by calling: 35509692, or 35509693.

Around 65,000 citizens and enterprises have benefited from Tamkeen's programmes which target in the longer run an excess of 100,000 beneficiaries.

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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.

Together, these programmes have benefited 53,000 Bahrainis and enterprises in the private sector, and re-injected more than BD 166 million into the sector. The total number of Bahrainis and enterprises expected to benefit from Tamkeen's various support programmes exceeds 100,000 beneficiaries.

Tamkeen's human capital development programmes have benefited more than 47,000 Bahrainis, including funding training for nearly 22,000 Bahrainis, and enabling another 3,500 Bahrainis to find gainful employment and more than 1,000 Bahrainis to obtain professional certifications in their respective fields.

For enterprises, Tamkeen have supported well over 18,000 enterprises, including enabling more than 4,500 enterprises to access low-cost capital through its BD 210 million financing portfolio, and an additional 4,000 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

For more information about our programmes, please call:
Marketing Communication department
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

© Press Release 2012