Sharjah 24: The Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD)-affiliated Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs (RUWAD) held a ceremony to honour the second batch of graduates from the Entrepreneurial Guidance Programme for Sharjah Government Employees (Entrepreneurship Ambassadors).

The programme, now in its second year, included 12 employees from six government entities: Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD), Sharjah Police General Headquarters, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sharjah Private Education Authority, Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), and RUWAD.

Abdullah Ali Mahmoud, Director of Support Services at SEDD; Maryam Saif Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for the Support Services Sector at the Sharjah Chamber; Aisha Al Kaabi, Head of the Training Programmes Department at SGMB; and Hessa Abdullah, Head of Corporate Licencing Department at Sharjah Private Education Authority, all attended the graduation ceremony, which took place at the Sharjah Economic Development Department headquarters.

The chairman of SEDD said: "RUWAD Foundation, in its efforts to stimulate the entrepreneurial environment in the emirate, is keen on providing quality and specialised training programmes, with the 'Entrepreneurship Ambassadors' programme being part of this ambitious plan."

Al Mahmoud thanked all government entities for nominating their employees to participate in the second edition of the program, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts among governmental partners to strengthen their institutional roles in creating supportive organizations for entrepreneurial activities and developing the country's business environment.

He thanked the graduates for successfully completing the programme's prerequisites.

According to Fatima Al Ali, Acting Director of RUWAD, the 'Entrepreneurship Ambassadors' initiative involves a series of vocational and training seminars based on the London School of Economics and Political Science's (LSE) curriculum. Participants in the programmes, which last eight intensive working days, get an authorised diploma from the school's LSE Generate Centre for Entrepreneurship, allowing them to begin practicing entrepreneurial coaching in the workplace.

Upon completion of the curriculum, participants develop a graduation project that aligns with the services provided by the RUWAD Foundation to its member projects, including feasibility studies, idea evaluations, funding requests, and more.

The programme's modules include "Readiness for Guidance," "Effective Guidance Journey," "Building Trustworthy Guidance Relationships," "Realistic Mindset and Entrepreneurial Experiences," "Entrepreneurial Project Forms and Institutional Personalities," "Sound Planning Tools," and "Design Thinking for Understanding the Customer."

In the end, Abdullah Ali Mahmoud, Director of Support Services at SEDD, honoured the participating government agencies and presented certificates to the graduates.