With 12 years of experience in IT, Sameh El Mansouri is a university educator at the ISET (L’Institut Supérieur des Etudes Technologiques) in Beja. Passionate about entrepreneurship and everything related to business management, she is very close to her students and enjoys sharing her passion with others through the HP LIFE Club that was launched at the university in December 2017.
“The field of entrepreneurship has particularly interested me since I took on the position of Regional Coordinator of the National Project for Academic Innovation for Regional Development,” says Sameh. “HP LIFE was selected as one of the first programs to be included in this project. When my colleague Mr. Yazid Missaoui, who is also an HP LIFE trainer, called me to ask for my support, I didn’t hesitate for a moment – it sounded like an amazing opportunity.”
Sameh received training provided to university educators through Mashrou3i, a public-private partnership project implemented by UNIDO and financed by USAID, the Italian Cooperation and the HP Foundation. During the training, she learned the UNIDO teaching methodology and how to coach students using the business and IT tools of HP LIFE. After the training, Sameh invited 20 of her students to discover HP LIFE e-Learning and to explore the online courses in topics such as finance, communication and marketing.
“Today’s students are aware that the public sector is saturated and to find employment they need to look to the private sector or think about creating their own job through entrepreneurship,” says Sameh. “My students were immediately impressed by the business concepts and IT tools of HP LIFE and asked to have another advanced training session, that I was happy to provide in collaboration with one of my colleagues.”
There are currently 4 educators at ISET Beja who are trained in UNIDO’s HP LIFE methodology and regularly provide students with coaching and mentoring. During face-to-face workshops held at the university, students learn how to apply the business and IT tools of HP LIFE. Using an approach focused on design thinking and the business model, students are supported in the creation of their business ideas and empowered to design their business model.
“With Mashrou3i, youth get exposed to entrepreneurship and thrive through the power of their own ideas,” explains Sameh. “The approach also puts emphasis on psychological preparation, logistics and the development of students’ communication and soft-skills.”
“A key goal of every educator, is to prepare students for the labour market. Therefore, we try to work on all aspects of their personal development, strengthening their technical and social skills,” Sameh adds. “Mashrou3i and HP LIFE e-Learning offer tangible opportunities for helping young people make the transition to the workplace.”