MoLSA Trainers Certification Ceremony on Start and Improve your Business Training Program

“The Certification of our trainers today is considered a strategic initiative that aims to enhance and develop the entrepreneurship sector in our country, which aligns with our vision at the Ministry and the government’s program,” said Mr. Ahmed Al-Asadi, the Iraqi Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, at the opening of a closing event of one of the Iraqi Al-Amal projects.

Iraqi Al-Amal Association, in partnership with the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) PROSPECTS program, celebrated the graduation and certification of 14 trainers from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs for ‘Start and Improve Your Business’ (SIYB) program on Thursday, 08/08/2024. The event was attended by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Al-Asadi, the ILO Regional Director, Ms. Maha Qata, and representatives from various ministerial institutions, private sector institutions, banks, and organizations.

During the certification cycle, which began in August 2023, Al-Amal coordinated with the Ministry of Labor through vocational training centers and business incubators in five Iraqi provinces. They managed to reach 461 beneficiaries from six Iraqi cities through 28 training courses, resulting in the generation of 130 new business ideas, 79 detailed implementation plans, and 152 business improvement plans.

Through this certification, we aimed to increase business development services, particularly in the vocational training centers and business incubators affiliated with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which annually receive thousands of unemployed individuals, job seekers, and loan applicants. This is what the trainers will work on after getting their certification.

The activities of this program were funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.