Forum held on ‘Entrepreneurship and Employability in 21st Century’

AMMAN — SPARK Jordan, an international NGO, organised a forum on “Entrepreneurship and Employability in the 21st Century” on Thursday in Amman. 

The event hosted a variety of public and private sector representatives, business owners, entrepreneurs, students, and job seekers.

SPARK is a Netherlands based international non-governmental organisation that works on advancing higher education and entrepreneurship in developing countries, according to its website. 

During a panel discussion on “Entrepreneurship during and Post-COVID-19”, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh  said:  “Jordan has witnessed a notable increase in the number of entrepreneurial companies.”

He also noted that the ministry has recently taken several steps to support and further the growth and development of this sector in the upcoming years.

“The general policy for entrepreneurship, which was recently endorsed, focuses on enabling the sector by facilitating access into resources of finance as well as local, global, and regional markets, in addition to rehabilitating and training human resources to work in this sector,” Hanandeh said, adding that a national council for entrepreneurship will be established soon.

Other participants also discussed the lack of support for entrepreneurship in non-technological sectors, startups’ ability to easily modify their structure and adapt during the pandemic, the importance of teaching entrepreneurship in schools, and the gap between the number of institutions concerned with entrepreneurship in Amman and those in other governorates.

The General Manager of Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund (ISSF) Laith Al Qasem  said: “The ISSF is currently working on providing entrepreneurial training in all governorates and it has allocated funds in 2022 to support business incubators and accelerators across the country.”

The ISSF is a Jordanian private shareholding company, which provides investment support and promotes entrepreneurship across Jordan, according to its website.

The second panel discussion, titled “Education and Pathways to Employment”, focused on coordination between the Higher Education Ministry, the Civil Service Bureau, the private sector and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Participating experts discussed the gap between the outcomes of higher education and the needs of the labour market, while stressing the importance of youth’s active role in creating jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The event also featured a job fair with the participation of 17 companies from various industries, in order to link students and job seekers with potential employers from the private sector, according to organisers.