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THE PUBLIC SECTOR OFFERS A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
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By Adam Hasan
“The Station’s goal will always be to support youth and to further develop their capabilities,” Ammar AlKhatib, Executive Director at The Station, explained in an interview with Iraq 24. “Whether they are affiliated with The Station or not, we want to help them.” It is a saying that perfectly encapsulates Al-Khatib’s attitude towards his work. The root can be found in his career preceding The Station where the bulk of his job centered around training sessions and workshops which culminated in him becoming a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He spoke further about his work before and with The Station, the recent partnership with Zain IQ, and his hopes for the future. Below are excerpts of Iraq 24’s conversation with him.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIFE AND CAREER BEFORE THE STATION AND IS THERE AN ACHIEVEMENT OR CONTRIBUTION THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
Yes, being a trainer, specifically a Microsoft Certified Trainer is something I’m particularly proud of. It has allowed me to share my knowledge of these programs that I hold dear to my heart to over a hundred people. People’s use of the applications has fundamentally changed because of me and many of them received job offers due to the skills they acquired during the training.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH THE STATION AND SPECIFICALLY WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE STATION?
I have been familiar with The Station since its launch in 2018. I visited on multiple occasions whenever I had meetings with friends and acquaintances. I also helped facilitate several workshops and training sessions within the programs implemented by TheStation. A position opened up during one of my training sessions and the Human Resources manager at The Station was present and she offered me the position of Program Manager. When the interview was conducted, an internal decision was made to offer me the role of Executive Director. It was an opportunity to reinforce my passion for training and building up the youth’s capabilities. I am someone who dislikes public sector jobs so this was a great opportunity to manage an institute that focuses on swaying youth away from governmental jobs.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT YOU HAVE FACED IN YOUR WORK WITH THE STATION SO FAR? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME IT?
The biggest challenge so far has been the organization’s sustainability. There is always pressure to find solutions to that problem and make The Station able to withstand times of adversity. I started my position while the October protests took place so a majority of the youth were too preoccupied which affected the number of people who attended workshops and visited The Station. After that came a period of political instability which affected public safety and the presence of donors in Iraq. Further more, Covid-19 completely halted life as we knew it for over five months and even when things started to return to something akin to normal, lockdown restrictions were still put in place. Without the trust of our donors and partners, Al-Handal Group specifically, we couldn’t have persisted.
Ammar Al-Khatib
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE STATION
A SECOND BRANCH OF THE STATION WAS OPENED IN MOSUL LAST YEAR. DO YOU THINK THERE IS A POSSIBILITY FOR FURTHER EXPANSION INTO OTHER CITIES IN THE FUTURE?
It’s definitely something that The Station aspires to do. We want to expand and reach further cities, especially places where such presence is unheard of and we seek to become pioneers in helping the youth utilize their energy. Such endeavors require the possible partners to believe in our cause. Many mentioned Basra since it’s a major city in the south but The Station believes that Basra shouldn’t get all the attention and support when there are other southern cities that have youth in need of economic opportunities. We have to plant the seed of entrepreneurship in new cities and while we are still looking for the most suitable one, we are confident that by mid 2022 we would have started our foray into one of those cities.
THE STATION RECENTLY SIGNED A THREE-YEAR STANDING MOU AGREEMENT WITH ZAIN. HOW WILL THE STATE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR CHANGE AFTER THESE THREE YEARS?
Three years ago the majority of large companies in Iraq, with a few notable exceptions like Zain IQ, didn’t know or understand the concept of entrepreneurship. Whenever we discussed start-up culture with them they replied with: “Why should I support their start-up when I
could just hire them in my company?”
Things have changed. Nowadays, these companies understand the need for entrepreneurship and believe in the importance of supporting them. I believe that in three years the amount of support and investment these companies offer is only going to get larger. Programs created by organizations like The Station helped introduce people to start-up culture and the business world which caused a shift that forced these large corporations to reconsider the position.
WE OFTEN HEAR PEOPLE SAY THAT COLLEGE GRADUATES CHOOSE GOVERNMENT JOBS OVER THE PRIVATE SECTOR SINCE THE FORMER OFFERS MORE SOCIAL SECURITY. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT?
The public sector offers a false sense of security. The proof is what happened a couple of months ago with the salary situation. Many people had their salary arrive late, or had it deducted, or their currency value dropped. Some even started receiving their paycheck every 40 days which amounted to them getting paid for only eleven months of the year. Unfortunately, working in the public sector won’t help you learn any new skills or gain new experience. There are ten people doing the work of one, it’s disguised unemployment.
THERE IS AN OVERWHELMING INTEREST IN PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS. DO YOU THINK THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE YOUTH THEMSELVES OR THIS IS THE RESULT OF THE GOVERNMENT’S ACTIONS AND LAWS?
The blame falls on many parties. Firstly, on the institution of academia itself. From elementary school to the end of college, a large portion of these institutes make the end goal of studying the exams and not gaining knowledge. Students are graduating from prestigious colleges without actually learning critical thinking. When these students learn a new piece of information, they won’t engage with it or try to understand the logic behind it, they will just take it like it is. This creates a docile and uncreative person which is very suitable for a government job. Secondly, the blame also falls on the government. The state hasn’t provided adequate support to the private sector to revitalize it and encourage it to hire these young people. Support doesn’t necessarily have to be financial; it could mean legislating laws to protect
them from foreign competition, fighting corruption, and providing benefits. A lot of young people working in the private sector aren’t aware of the rights they have; they don’t know about social security laws and the fact that employees in the private sector are eligible for retirement pension under certain circumstances.
Many companies avoid registering with the government because of how long and complicated the procedure is, in addition to that rampant corruption. The government has to make an effort to change this.
Of course, companies in the private sector are also afraid of spending time, money, and effort on training an employee only for said employee to leave them for a different company. There has to be laws that protect both the employee and the employer.
WE ARE SEEING A SMALL RESURGENCE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS OR ADVICE TO GIVE TO THE PEOPLE CONTEMPLATING SWITCHING TO A MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL LINE OF WORK?
I highly encourage young people to start their own businesses and to turn an idea in their heads to a source of revenue.
One of the best places to kickstart your own business is your graduation project in the final year of college. Students will have to think and plan for their project or code and it’s a great opportunity to turn that into a business. Unfortunately, we all know how weak and underwhelming the state of these projects are currently.
Starting your own business would mean an opportunity for learning and growth. Furthermore, it would be a revenue source not just for you but for all the people who are going to work with you, this would greatly help our local economy.
Of course, it’s not going to be easy, you won’t have a highly successful business in a year’s time and there will be many challenges and difficulties. That being said, the smart and creative person will endure and turn the obstacles into an advantage.
ANY FINAL WORDS?
I would like to thank the people who are in this ecosystem of entrepreneurship. Thank you for not thinking of government jobs. Thank you for not waiting for opportunities but creating ones yourself.
