USAID COO

MSELECT USAID-funded Foras Centers of Opportunity

Have you made your resolution yet for the New Year? January 1 is just around the corner and MSELECT wants to help you start this year off right. The New Year is a time for personal and professional resolutions; finding a new job or breaking into a new field can be tough, but MSELECT is here to help in the job search.

This New Year, MSELECT is teaming up with the Foras Opportunities program, an economic growth initiative funded by USAID that intends to improve economic and job opportunities for job-seeking Iraqis. This month alone, MSELECT opened 6 brand new Foras Centers of Opportunity across Iraq, including 3 in Erbil, 1 in Baghdad, 1 in Najaf and 1 in Basrah. Each day, MSELECT offers high-quality training courses in Employability Skills from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from now until the end of March for Iraqis on the jobs search. We have even created a female-friendly space; our center in The Fig Club, a fitness and art club in Erbil, offers classes exclusively for women, too.

The Employability Skills classes, which are sponsored by the Foras program, include subjects to prepare to snag your next job including CV writing, interview skills, register and apply for jobs on the Foras portal, job search & job match skills and e-Learning. Each class is just one hour and classes are held in our training centers in Erbil and Basra, as well as at training locations in Baghdad and Najaf.  Training languages are Kurdish and Arabic.

MSELECT plans to offer specialized courses next to help you break into a new job field. Specialized Skills courses are also 100% free for the public on fields such as Hospitality, Retail Sales, Human Resources, Basic Security and Customer Service.

Do yourself a favor and sign up for these free classes today and put yourself and your future first this New Year! Register by emailing forascoo@mselect.iq or calling 066 261 4455.

Charity Art Auction

Buy Art. Help the Displaced in Iraq.

Tall canvases splashed with azure and Persian blue lean up against paintings with wandering scarlet, apricot, laurel lines and large photo prints of Iraq’s many cities and people at Mselect. All these brimming art pieces come from local and international painters and photographers ready to turn one Erbil office into an expectant an art gallery full of one-of-a-kind pieces waiting to be bought (by you, of course) to directly support some of the region’s most in need children and families in just two weeks.

Mselect’s Charity Art Auction will be held on November 21 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is an art fundraiser event open and completely free for the public to both enjoy amazing art and to raise money for vulnerable families who have sought shelter from the Syrian and Iraq conflicts in Kurdistan. All art will be sold via silent auction, where anyone can place a bid on their favorite piece. The most competitive and highest price will take home the art and in return help vulnerable families get food, essential medicine and blankets.

Rise Foundation, a local NGO working with Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqis, will use all raised funds to help even more vulnerable families displaced by the recent conflict. More than 1.3 million victims from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have fled to Kurdistan and Rise Foundation sees the Charity Art Auction as an opportunity to raise much needed money to help families who are now facing a harsh winter in Kurdistan.  Rise Foundation staff and Mselect’s founder and owner Hal Miran already have eyed out their favorite pieces that are for sale on 21^st, but you will have to come find out in person which pieces those are exactly.

Tom Robinson, Rise Foundation’s Director, and team have been hard at work for the event collecting children’s art from the Akra Refugee Camp. Rise Foundation works directly with children in Akra on the Castle Art Project, a beautification painting mural project lead by refugee children who are spreading a little beauty, creativity and hope to the walls of the camp. Also, Rise Foundation’s resident artist Lorin Eli will be showing and selling paintings in the auction, which you can buy directly.

More than 10 local and international artists, such as Fehad Pirbal, Farnaz Kangorlu and Sebastian Meyers, have come together to raise money to help those in need. Local NGO ArtRole has also donated pieces to support the event and Naranj restaurant is providing food and drink for the event. Now, all we need is you to join us on November 21 to buy art to help those who need it most.

For more information on the event, email sarah@mselect.iq or call Mselect at (0) 66 264 3293. The Charity Art Auction will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on November 21 at Mselect’s office located at Naz City Road off 100 Meter Street (behind Jordanian Hospital), Erbil, Iraq.

Announcing MSELECT’s First-Ever Public Courses!

Classes start in August 2014

Internationally Certified Diploma in Leadership and Management

MSELECT is offering 1- and 2-day courses in Leadership and Management through the IFC (International Finance Corporation), a division of the World Bank.  These courses are part of the Business Edge™ series of workshops and lead to international certification.

Participants can take all 8 courses to receive a “Diploma in Leadership and Management” or they can take individual modules, each of which is also certified by the World Bank and IFC.

Business Edge™ certified courses being offered are as follows:

§  Becoming a More Effective Manager

§  Communicating Effectively

§  Leading Your Team

§  Managing with Authority

§  Motivating People

§  Planning and Controlling Work

§  Problem Solving

§  Using Information for Decision Making

Why train with MSELECT?

Whether you are looking to begin your career with an international company, to further develop your skills, or to acquire a broader business knowledge, MSELECT is the destination for your learning needs.

MSELECT provides you with the tools and knowledge needed to advance in both your career and your personal life.  We strive to deliver excellence and to help you master the latest methods and meet tomorrow’s needs through innovative learning methodologies. 

MSELECT’s Certified Trainers have demonstrated unrivaled skills in helping learners become more productive in their working environments.  All have many years of experience and are certified through the World Bank/IFC “Training of Trainers” program to deliver the internationally recognized Business Edge™ curriculum.

Why Business Edge™?

MSELECT was recently awarded certification to offer the renowned World Bank /IFC Business Edge™ training programs.  We are currently the only active company in Kurdistan to offer these courses, and we are qualified to teach up to 59 different topics.

Recipients of our Business Edge™ training courses will receive an international certificate for each course they complete.  Those who complete all 8 courses in our Leadership and Management program will receive a Diploma. 

MSELECT also offers Business Edge™ Diplomas and courses in Human Resources Management; Tourism  and Hotel Management; Sales and Marketing Management; Finance and Accounting; and General Operations Management.

For more information on Business Edge™ and the specific courses we offer, please visit: http://www.businessedgeworld.com/be/en/content/en/6844/About-Business-Edge

Who can take these courses?

The training language is English, so anyone who speaks fluent or advanced English may take our Business Edge™ courses.  No prior experience is required, just a willingness to learn and a desire to improve oneself.

When are courses being offered?

MSELECT is currently registering students for Leadership and Management classes in August and September.  Courses in other topics will be offered starting in October.  See attached schedule for a list of dates and times.

Where are classes held?

All courses will take place at MSELECT’s training centers in Erbil and Sulaimaniya.  The exact locations are below and also on our website at www.mselect.iq.

What is the cost?

Courses that are 7 hours in length: $110

Courses that are 14 hours in length: $190

Diploma in Leadership and Management (all 8 courses):  $1,100

How do I register?

Registration is done solely online by following this link and answering all required questions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Registration_AugSept2014.  

After completing the online registration process, payment must be made in full by cash, at least 24 hours in advance of the first date of the course, by going to the MSELECT training center in Erbil or Sulaimaniya.

BASRAH JOB FAIR 2014

MSELECT is pleased to announce that we have been chosen by USAID “Foras” to host Basrah’s first-ever job fair.  Scheduled to take place this September in downtown Basrah, the Basrah Job Fair is expected to draw upwards of 2,500 fresh graduates and job-seekers, all looking for the perfect job match. 

This one-day fair is already attracting interest from the region’s largest employers, and prominent officials from the Iraqi and U.S. Governments as well as representatives from the United Nations are scheduled to attend.  With massive promotion and advertising planned, the Basrah Job Fair 2014 promises to be the region’s single most important event of the year!

Along with prominent displays and booths for the Job Fairs corporate participants and sponsors, the Basrah Job Fair will feature 3 days of training sessions for job-seekers one week prior to the event, as well as cutting-edge workshops on how to create video CVs, maximize online employment resources, and utilize the most effective methods for finding jobs.  Sponsors will have maximum exposure for 2 full months leading up to the Job Fair, along with the opportunity to meet the region’s leading employers, government heads, and other important stakeholders.

Companies interested in participating should call Almas Fatima at the MSELECT office on +964 (0)66 264 3293, or via email at jobfair@mselect.iq.  More information coming soon!