The Pakistan Chapter of the UNESCO Entrepreneurship Education Network (UNESCO EE-Net) launched the pilot Start-up Readiness Program on Saturday, September 14, 2024. The program was held and conceptualized at the Shahjehan Syed Karim Incubation Center (SSKIC) at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi. The event featured a workshop on “Mindset Shift: Innovating with Purpose & Sparking Entrepreneurial Thinking”, attended by students from leading public and private universities as well as TVET vocational institutions. Mr. Raza Abbas, Head of SSKIC-IoBM and the focal person for UNESCO EE-Net, highlighted the significance of the network, sharing that IoBM has the distinct honour of being appointed the national chapter of UNESCO EE-Net in Pakistan, the first of its kind in the country’s history.
The workshop’s resource persons were Mr. Raza Abbas and Ms. Naureen Ghaffar, Managing Director of Agile Global Consultancy, Executive Committee Member of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and an alumna of IoBM. Mr. Raza initiated the training session by sharing a video on the significance and the rules of high-performance teamwork. He set the foundation by introducing an activity where participants could develop a "purpose reservoir" to self-motivate and reflect during their start-up journey. He also shared the effectuation framework for igniting entrepreneurial thinking, outlining its five principles. He inspired the importance of developing an agile mindset and discussed tools for cultivating an agile and purposeful mindset through 11 specific tools. Ms. Naureen Ghaffar underscored the value of conducting individual SWOT analyses for business, after which groups of participants were formed to collaborate toward the common goal of business success.
The group did their SWOT analysis as well for much better clarity in the execution of the business idea. Participants learned the business execution process as we shared real-time experiences along with case studies. Key aspects focused on were developing patience in dealing with the stakeholders, taking calculated risks, understanding the viability of a business idea in such a way that it can be commercialized, having the right team members to make things happen in the right direction, having a set of KPIs defined for the team members to avoid any sort of conflicts. Overall, the essence of the session to create an entrepreneurial mindset seems to have been achieved as the participants were enjoying the pressures of real-time business experience and will be vigilant in their business journey.
Dr. Imran Batada, Chief Digital Officer and Director of CIT at IoBM, was the Chief Guest. He was pleased to see an interactive audience, inspiring the participants by highlighting the opportunities available for start-ups, and he praised the excellent work of the SSKIC team. The Start-Up Readiness Program is a game-changing initiative designed to improve the quality of start-ups in incubation centers and increase their retention throughout the start-up journey.
The UNESCO EE-Net Start-up Readiness Launch aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in several ways. It promotes SDG 4: Quality Education by providing entrepreneurial skills and mindset training to students from diverse educational institutions, enhancing their ability to innovate and create sustainable business solutions. Additionally, it supports SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth by fostering entrepreneurial thinking, which can lead to job creation and sustainable economic development.
Summary of Start-Up Readiness Program:
https://incubation.iobm.edu.pk/startup-readiness-program/
The program consists of four interactive workshops from September 14 to October 5, 2024.