‘Business Clinics’ Center at Damascus University Offers Free Services to Every youth to Enter Job Market

Youths are the backbone of the nation as they can change the future of the society with their well-being and courageous behavior. Several projects have been set up by NGOs in cooperation with the government to develop and invest youths’ capabilities in different fields.      

One of these projects is called the “Business Clinics” Center, which was opened on Monday by Damascus University and The Syria Trust for Development at the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

The idea of the “Business Clinics” first came up by the Trust in 2008 and the opening ceremony of the center at Damascus University comes a year after ratifying partnership between the two sides (The Trust and Damascus University).

According to a brochure distributed in the ceremony, the center is a bridge to connect youths with business sector through offering free consultations and training courses that would help them hone their capabilities, achieve community development, and support activities and volunteer initiatives plus participatory projects.

The “Business Clinics” center will hold workshops and courses on “Job search skills”, “job interviews”, “startups”, “social entrepreneurship”, and “life skills” and will help youths to identify their personality type.

Website

The Syriatimes’ reporter toured the center, which includes a hall for virtual training and a library as well as training, consultation and waiting halls, and conducted interviews with some trainers and volunteers there to shed light on the mechanism of working and registration in the center.

Mr. Said Swed, who is in charge of the “Business Clinics” website, said: “we communicate with youths via the Facebook- ClinicDaUni- where we post several programs on the skills of job search and the time management and on personality test.”

But, he added, the website of the “Business Clinics” and specialized consultations are to be launched within two months.

“The existence of the center at university campus will achieve a better communication with university students. We are optimistic as Syria has creative and generous youths. Youths are to be partners in the process of building the website with us.” Mr. Swed said.

Library

Miss. Seba Shaddod, a volunteer working at the library, said that the library contains around 250 books from Harvard University on the job market and social entrepreneurship and on the way to launch special initiatives to develop the community.

“We give the youths in the center the books that serve their interests,” she added.

Her colleague, Mr. Fadi Ibrahim, told us” “We connect with Harvard business library to get some books and we also have books by Ibrahim Elfiky.” 

“In the future, we plan to hold workshops for youths in order to discuss the books that they read. Our main goal is to bridge the gap between Academic study and the job market”

The most important thing in the center is making informed career choices (Tamheed Test). “This test is free and helps students to make career decision,” Miss Shaddoud said.

Training

 As for topics being chosen in training courses, Miss. Weam Tannos said: “We try to offer the services that youths want and we carry out a survey to define the youths’ requirements.”

She added that the center, which will open its doors every day from 9:00am till 4:00 pm except Friday and Saturday, is to hold 3-6 workshops a day in three training halls, each can accommodate 25-40 youths.

Over the past period, well over 84 volunteer trainers have worked for the programs that attracted more than 4500 youths, who have benefited from 180 training workshops on “job search skills”, “entrepreneurship”, “setting up small projects”, “life skills” and other topics.

Culture of Volunteerism 

Another type of training is also available in the center, precisely in a hall named ‘ social entrepreneurship’ where Green Bees team works for spreading awareness among university students on the culture of volunteerism.

Mr. Mohammad Baized, a volunteer trainer at the Green Bees said: “Our team, which consists of 10 volunteers, is affiliated to Damascus University and it was established in 2012”.

“Previously, we mounted workshops to shed light on all faculties within a framework of a project called ‘ Mofadalati.. Mostaqbali’- in cooperation with the ‘business clinics’- in order to help students, who had completed general secondary school, to choose the proper specialization.” 

As many as 6000 students benefited from the ‘ Mofadalati.. Mostaqbali’ project [ slang means: selection of my study at university shapes my future] . In other words: “My aptitude determines my altitude”

Mr. Biazed is one of the volunteer trainers, who are very proud of their works.   

Another volunteer trainer was very happy for playing an active role in spreading the culture of business awareness among youths.

 Miss, Christine Kashar has worked at the business clinics since 2008 and helped youths to be aware of business sector.

“The ‘Business Clinics’ program was part of ‘Shabab’ initiative that was launched by the Trust to enable youths in Syria, aged 15-29, to choose their career by building their business knowledge and skills to increasing their employability,” She said.

Miss. Kashar decided to be a volunteer at the business clinics because she believed in the goals of the Shabab initiative. “Personally speaking, I have to believe in the goals of any initiative in order to work as a volunteer.”

She was among the trainers, who were honored in the ceremony, in appreciation of her efforts. “I was waiting for this honor and it lift my morale to be more active.”

Verily, the opening of the center at Damascus University also boosted the morale of university students who challenge the current circumstances in the country and insist on continuing their study to be active and initiator in their community.

Reported by: Basma Qaddour