Amman, Jordan: Recognizing the importance of business and entrepreneurial training for society in general and for women in Arab/developing nations in particular, the Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute at the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) has conducted the first regional training workshop in business for female lawyers from Lebanon, Kuwait and Palestine, taking part in the Women in Law Program (WILpower).

WILpower, an extension of the Academy for Educational Department (AED), is supported by the Middle East Partnership Institute (MEPI) of the U.S. Department of State, and represents a cooperative regional information exchange network dedicated to female law students and young legal practitioners in the Middle East and the North Africa region. In essence, WILpower addresses the challenges female Arab lawyers and law students face by providing them with appropriate training and networking support as well as developing communication technology solutions.

Recently, WILpower launched a web site (www.womeninlaw.net) which includes seminars and lectures that discuss the region’s decisive legal issues. The site creates an opportunity for lawyers to exchange skills, resources, and knowledge on laws, leadership, and private institutions. The program aspires to reach a large number of female law students and practitioners in the Middle East and North Africa.

The QRCE organized the first session of business training during the regional WILpower workshop in January, followed by 12 online training sessions conducted using interactive internet training tools.  The thirteenth session will be held during the second regional workshop in May. The first session of the training included the first module of the “Starting a Business” workshop developed by the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute, which focuses on building entrepreneurial skills for legal practitioners, and introduces the definition of business planning and its role in driving business success.

The Cisco Entrepreneur Institute is focused on educating entrepreneurs around the globe. Working with local government and private sector organizations, Cisco’s mission is to help communities and nations harness the power of entrepreneurs small and medium business entrepreneurs to stimulate economic growth and social prosperity. Cisco believes this initiative will create significant long-term benefits and help transform the economic landscape for its customers and partners, while enabling Cisco to further expand its business and social impact on a global scale.

In mid 2008, The Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship was announced as a regional partner for the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute Initiative. This relationship aims to improve the entrepreneurial spirit among the Jordanian youth through extensive training and to drive more potential national partners to utilize the advantages provided by Cisco to the Jordanian community and beyond.

Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship is a non-profit and non-governmental organization that has played a pivotal role in supporting the knowledge-based economy in Jordan and the region. The QRCE is part of El Hassan Science City, located in Jubaiha, Jordan, which includes Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), The Royal Scientific Society (RSS), and the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST). The QRCE provides several programs, such as the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute, the Queen Rania National Entrepreneurship Competition (QRNEC), Technology Commercialization Program (TCP), Made in Jordan Competition, CONNECT Jordan, and the Student Entrepreneurship Society (DART). The QRCE is sponsored by and partners with King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB), King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), Google, Jordan Business Magazine, Jordan Commercial Bank (JCBank), Jordan Dubai Capital, Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCo), National Fund for Enterprise Support (NAFES), Optimiza, Orange, and Royal Jordanian.