Successfully trained women at the Women's Higher Technical Institute, affiliated with the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), will be able to receive a loan of up to SR200,000 each to start their own small businesses. An agreement to that effect was signed Wednesday between the TVTC and the Credit and Savings Bank, said Niqar Abdulrahman, dean of the technical institute in Jeddah. The agreement came after the conclusion of training sessions on small business administration, accounting, and workshops at the institute in Jeddah. The training sessions and workshops have empowered women to go into the job market and set up businesses with the confidence and knowledge to successfully carry out feasibility studies, marketing campaigns, and customer relations, said Abdulrahman. The TVTC strives to produce businesswomen through its Center of Women Entrepreneurs that provides targeted training programs and supports sound business proposals in order to receive financing, she said. Once the project starts, the center follows it up through its different stages until it becomes fully operational, she added. The program is open for Saudi women between 18 and 45 with high school diplomas. The second training session will be announced soon. There are over 40 women's technical institutes in the Kingdom teaching students a variety of skills including make-up, fashion, electronics, arts and crafts, web design, jewelry design, and others.
