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King Khalid University inaugurated the 'Technical Horizons and Entrepreneurship for Women' forum on the 12th of February at the King Abdullah Road campus. This forum was presented in collaboration with the Saudi Technical Amateur Committee. The purpose of the forum is to encourage women to pursue careers in computer science and entrepreneurial activities.
The Vice Dean of the Creative Talent and Entrepreneurship Center, Dr. Fatimah Al-Zahrani, opened the ceremonies with a speech in which she presented the goals of the forum. The primary objective is to harness female creativity and innate penchant for entrepreneurship. She further noted that private industry and government desperately need computer science talent for national development programs. The forum is to encourage women to help meet these vital requirements for skilled people. Dr. Al-Zahrani also stated that teaching economics is an important facet of this initiative. 'Entrepreneurship requires that participants, both male and female, have a thorough understanding of economic principles in order to thrive' she explained. This forum will utilize cutting edge business models that are proven to help women succeed in these endeavors. Of particular interest is small and medium-sized private enterprises. Small business development is an integral component of the Kingdom's future economic growth as per Vision 2030. Technically skilled/entrepreneurial women will have an increasingly important part of these plans.
Dr. Al-Zahrani also noted that the government is assisting in the initiative. The General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises has multiple, ongoing efforts to encourage women entrepreneurs and technicians. The Authority is conducting a comprehensive review of regulatory programs to reduce obstacles and further encourage female participation. The Authority is also revising government programs to facilitate education and training for women. Plus the Authority is working to make sure that women have access to private sources of capital to finance their ventures.
The General Authority is also developing projects that will link present and future labor markets with these burgeoning talents. This is being done under the auspices of economic targets set forth in the Kingdom's planning documents. Specifically, small and medium enterprises (SME) will increase from 20% of the national economy to 35%. Also, these plans include reducing the national unemployment rate from 11.6% to 7%. The information technology sector is one of the greatest contributors to economic development in the coming years. Clearly, the Kingdom regards the digital economy as a vital part of the country's future.
After the opening ceremonies, Mrs. Maha Daleem from the Institute of National Entrepreneurship presented a paper introducing the entrepreneurship programs. She explained the ways in which activities are organized, and how women can take advantage of these opportunities. Ms. Rua Al-Ghafili from the Saudi Technical Amateur Committee presented a paper on technical communication titled 'Opportunities in the Labor Market and How to Invest in Them'. She reviewed practical means for women to participate in the rapidly changing Saudi economy. Also, Mrs. Naja Al-Derani, Dr. Haifa Al-Dailan and Sumaya Yasa from the Faculty of Computer Science presented papers on information technology education and development.
The forum also included a variety of workshops on relevant topics including:
The forum and all of its associated presentations and activities lasted three days. Every session was well attended and the university plans to make this forum a regular event.
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