NCB helps young citizensto excel in small business

In cooperation with chambers of commerce in Abha and the Eastern Region, the National Commercial Bank (NCB) recently imparted a course to graduates on ways of starting small business.
A number of 94 entrepreneurs from Jeddah, Abha and the Eastern Region enrolled in the course.
Abdullah Alzahrani, secretary general assistant at Abha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Adel Al-Sarami, secretary general assistant for economic affairs at the Eastern Region chamber of commerce, some NCB officials in both regions and a number of entrepreneurs attended the ceremony.
The course, which was held in different places across the Kingdom, has covered a great number of entrepreneur projects in different areas, including industrial, commercial and other outstanding projects.
The course continued over 10 days for theory training, followed by 3 months, 2 sessions per month, for practical training, which included a program for follow-up and consultancy.
Mahmoud Turkistani, VP and head of CSR department at NCB, said: “Through AlAhli program for entrepreneurs, NCB is seeking to spread free work culture and break the barriers that hinders the Saudi young people from taking initiatives to start small businesses.”
Turkistani said: “There are many examples of Saudi young people who achieved a great success in this field thanks to their advanced training by experts in both project management and business planning and development. Since 2005, a total of 5,129 entrepreneurs have benefited from the program.”
The course as part of NCB’s CSR programs, through which the bank trains entrepreneurs from men and women to start their enterprises, encourages investment culture and creates a competitive environment in the local market, which will, in turn, encourage to find alternative practical solutions for unemployment problem, increase income of individuals and families, reduce poverty and develop the country economy.
Over the five past years, NCB trained more than 5,129 young people in 35 cities and governorates covering the 13 regions of the Kingdom through AlAhli customized courses for entrepreneurs.
The training programs are held in cooperation with Chambers of Commerce & Industry, universities, colleges and committees in different regions across the Kingdom.
These programs are designed to cover the four basic elements that ensure success of any project: training, direction, finance and encouragement.
NCB received the prize for being the best bank in the Arab World that supports small and medium enterprises, which showcases NCB leadership in supporting small and medium entrepreneurs on both local and international levels.
NCB also built many successful partnerships with entrepreneurs believing in the importance of integration between private and public sectors to achieve the positive initiatives and build a new generation of entrepreneurs.
The bank made partnerships with 35 entities from public sector, including but not limited to, chambers of commerce and industry, government and nongovernmental authorities in 35 towns and cities across the Kingdom, which was positively reflected in training 5129 entrepreneurs during the period from 2005 to 2013.