Dubai SME to support entrepreneurs with training to deal with post-pandemic recovery

The educational arm of Dubai SME trained more than 11,200 people last year

Dubai Entrepreneurship Academy is also offering a certified diploma in entrepreneurship in partnership with the American University in Dubai.Getty

Dubai SME has launched a series of programmes through its educational arm Dubai Entrepreneurship Academy to help businesses and foster entrepreneurship in the emirate.

The programmes aim to train companies and individuals to be innovative and achieve sustainable growth, DEA said in a statement on Tuesday.

DEA is committed to providing “specialised knowledge and skills that meet the needs of the community and enable it to promote economic development and enhance the emirate’s position as a vibrant business centre”, Saeed Matar Al Marri, deputy chief executive of Dubai SME, said.

Dubai, the commercial and trading hub of the Middle East, has unveiled various support measures for SMEs and businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic last year. The emirate has also launched stimulus measures worth Dh1.7 billion so far to off set the impact of the pandemic.

The training programmes scheduled for the first half of this year will cover topics such as business optimisation, financial planning for SMEs, innovation, leadership, supply chain management, strategic thinking and digital solutions.

Ibtihal Al Naji, DEA director, said the goal is to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the capabilities required to launch their projects and grow them in a way that shapes the future of business locally and globally.

“We have had a hectic year [2020] engaging with the start-up community and entrepreneurs despite the Covid-19 crisis … DEA seeks to empower SMEs and consolidate smart practices for their advantage,” she added.

This year, DEA is also offering a three-month certified professional entrepreneurship diploma programme in partnership with the American University in Dubai.

More than 11,200 people were trained at the academy last year, an increase of 70 per cent compared to the year before. The number of programmes also increased to 135 last year, compared to 124 in 2019.