MoE honors 32 SMEs from first & second batches of SkillUp Embark training program held in collaboration with Google

H.E. Al Saleh: The development of SMEs is one of the UAE’s strategic priorities towards becoming a global entrepreneurship hub

The Ministry of Economy honored the first and second batches of graduates of the training program Skillup Embark, which was launched by the Ministry in partnership with Google under The Entrepreneurial Nation initiative last November. The program offers free intensive training to SME owners to help develop their skills and knowledge on digital marketing tools using social media platforms.

The ceremony was organized by the Ministry at its headquarters in Dubai, in the presence of H.E. Abdulla Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, and representatives of Google UAE. During the event, 32 SMEs from the first and second batches of the program were awarded graduation certificates.

H.E. Al Saleh said: “The development of entrepreneurship and SMEs is one of the UAE’s strategic priorities in order to become a global entrepreneurship hub. As such, the Ministry is continuously enhancing its efforts to provide more opportunities and enablers for entrepreneurs and startups to learn and acquire innovative entrepreneurial skills, under the national program The Entrepreneurial Nation. These efforts are being exerted in collaboration and coordination with various federal and local government departments and entities and private sector companies.”

H.E. added: “The SkillUp Embark program is an extension of the Ministry’s efforts to develop the entrepreneurial environment by providing training courses and supporting the upskilling of SME owners using latest technologies. This will help the growth of their businesses and various online ventures, and enable their products and services to reach more consumers in the UAE and global markets, thus solidifying the UAE’s position as a global destination for entrepreneurship as per the principles of the 50.”

The first batch of the program had 335 SMEs who completed their training cycle last February, while 616 SMEs graduated from the second training cycle last March, taking the total number of graduates to 951. The training included 16 online sessions, comprised of two three-hour sessions per week, which concluded with the appointment of a supervisor to oversee the progress of the participants and the application of the skills they learned during the training period.

The Ministry of Economy launched The Entrepreneurial Nation last November as a comprehensive national platform designed to fundamentally transform the UAE’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by developing a supportive environment for it and through strategic partnerships between the government and private sectors, which are considered the largest of their kind. The Entrepreneurial Nation has three main programs: SkillUp, StartUp, and ScaleUp.