PHOTO
- Workshops will support elements of Saudi’s Vision 2030, while also allowing participants work on their own business ideas
- More than 30 per cent of additional Ford funds invested in Middle East and Africa Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy workshops last year; HFEA expansion to Europe and the US highlight importance of the programme
RIYADH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:– Marking its third consecutive year in Saudi Arabia, the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy makes a welcome return to the Kingdom this month, with Riyadh’s Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University hosting the first workshop of the year, followed in quick succession by Effat University in Jeddah a week later.
As a result of expanding its partnerships in the Kingdom to include Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University last year, HFEA saw an approximate 30 per cent increase over 2017 in the number of female students trained, with 32 per cent more of Ford funds spent to make the additional workshops possible.
During The Entrepreneurship Journey programme, Ford brought together the excellence of far-reaching, continent-crossing educational institutions, as the United States’ Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Ireland’s Dublin City University (DCU) Business School both played a major part in shaping the first Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy workshop held in Riyadh last year.
Jeddah’s Effat University has enjoyed continued HFEA success since 2017, having launched the first-ever women-only The Entrepreneurship Journey workshop in Saudi Arabia. Then, 50 women – 60 per cent of whom were business industry students at Effat University, with the other 40 per cent comprised of aspiring businesswomen from Jeddah – gained a unique perspective into how to combine the theory of entrepreneurship with the application of entrepreneurship.
These Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy workshops over the past two years have been offered to complement Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a government plan for economic and social reform that empowers women with the aim of increasing their numbers in the workforce. Among directives recently announced by the Kingdom include a historical decision to allow Saudi women to open their own business* without the consent of a male guardian.
“On the back of its most successful year in the region to date, training close to 300 entrepreneurs across six cities in three different countries, the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy is continuing to have a positive influence among some of the Kingdom’s brightest business minds,” said Simonetta Verdi, Director, Government and Community Relations, Ford Middle East and Africa.
“The workshops provide a high quality and interactive environment for aspiring businesspeople to experiment with their ideas in direct exchange with mentors and coaches, who offer invaluable experience,” Verdi added.
“Our workshop is designed to equip current and future entrepreneurs with a set of tools to develop their skills and acumen around entrepreneurship,” said Jay Markiewicz, executive director of Entrepreneurship Programmes at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Business, and lead architect of HFEA.
“The workshop is built around an innovative learning Meta framework titled 'The Entrepreneurship Journey', from which participants emerge with increased personal capacity to be successful as entrepreneurs, as they learn how to connect with and deliver their unique value contribution,” he explained.
-Ends-
The Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy workshops, together with the Ford Motor Company Fund and Virginia Commonwealth University, afford local future business leaders to excel in their endeavours, and influence them to think and act like entrepreneurs.
The Ford Motor Company Fund invests about one third of the funds in support of education, including scholarships and programmes that help schools offer students new approaches to learning. Since its launch in 2015, the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy has trained close to 350 entrepreneurs across the Middle East and North Africa.
The Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy is part of Ford’s global commitment to providing access and opportunities for women. From its Driving Skills for Life for Her programme, to projects focussed on helping end human trafficking, as well as numerous initiatives that provide professional development and leadership training, globally Ford Fund has long supported programmes that help women succeed by overcoming social, educational and financial obstacles.
*As reported in The National
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 199,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com .
Ford’s history in the Middle East goes back more than 60 years. The company’s local importer-dealers operate more than 155 facilities in the region and directly employ more than 7,000 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals. For more information on Ford Middle East, please visit www.me.ford.com .
Ford Middle East is also a responsible corporate citizen with currently three CSR initiatives running in the region including the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants, Ford Warriors in Pink® breast cancer awareness campaign and Ford Driving Skills for Life safe driving awareness programme for young drivers and teens.
Contacts:
Sue Nigoghossian
MENA Communications
Ford Middle East & Africa
971-4-356-6368
Haneen Joudiyeh | Sadiq Al Hamed
ASDA’A BCW
971-4-4507600
haneen.joudiyeh@bcw-global.com
© Press Release 2019Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
