| Lyna Mohamad |
MORE platforms should be provided for technical and vocational training, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin said.
The minister was speaking at the Making Brunei Big Entrepreneurship Project’s panel discussion at the DARe Auditorium of the Design & Technology Building in Anggerek Desa yesterday.
He also added that employees in Brunei need more motivation while more skills are needed to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The minister also spoke on the need to utilise employment opportunities overseas.
Executive Director and Lead Maker of Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub Dr Christopher M Jones, Assistant Lecturer at Faculty of Islamic Economics and Finance, UNISSA Muhd Khairul Hidayatullah bin Haji Basir; founder of Big BWN Project, Brunei Women Entrepreneur Network, BWN YEP and Womennovation Brunei Noorhafizah Rashid and founder of Merveille Event Management Chai Li Goh participated in the panel discussion.
Deputy Managing Director of Syarikat Pakar Tenaga Bersatu and Director of Greensafe Tenaga Global (B) Sdn Bhd Dr Hajah Normawati binti Dato Paduka Haji Othman was the moderator.
The Making Brunei Big Entrepreneurship Project in partnership with the American Council of International Education and the United States(US) Department of States, is part of an on bound project summarising and conceptualising the American experience from the YSEALI Professional Fellowship Programme.
Working with their American facilitator from Winrock International and the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, the project is hoped to provide local and aspiring entrepreneurs with a unique platform to connect with others in business to enable them to develop their businesses and take their leadership to the next level with new partnership and networking opportunities.
Organised by Big BWN Project to empower, encourage and support local youth and entrepreneurs to become self-sustainable, the project aims to be an excellent opportunity to bring the local entrepreneurial community closer and for them to recognise their potential and goals, while enhancing collaboration between local agencies and institutions with American organisations.
The project also aims to create a network that supports each other to grow their businesses and ideas, accompany them through delivering initiatives and addressing the key challenges impacting on the growth of home-based business initiatives.
These initiatives are addressing the lack of role models, low self-confidence, lack of technical expertise and limited access to appropriate networking and advisors which is a challenge for Brunei’s young entrepreneurs.
The three-day event which concludes today, features a series of topics and discussions catering to different groups in the community, from leadership skills to social mobility and professional development workshops to develop personal skills.