Think Creative - Issue 4

16 | Think Creative | Fall 2018 Negina Yari is lecturing this afternoon to a class of 20 early- and mid-career professionals about financial management using Quick- Books, the accounting software used by many small businesses. Though it is a warm, sunny afternoon, these students are keenly focused on Yari’s words and presentation. As she speaks, she gently motions to the images on her PowerPoint slide and explains their relevance to modern busi- ness operations. Most participants are taking detailed notes. These men and women are at the midpoint of a 17-day course on financial management, dedicating about two hours a day to lectures and professional networking through a local nongovernmental organization called Pesco. For these professionals, Yari’s intensive course will make a difference in their careers and, in a small way, the future of Afghanistan. Attendees are mid-career and semi-profession- al job seekers; a large segment of them have some work experience. Unfortunately, that is not enough for employers who are demanding current, practical skills. As part of Yari’s course, attendees take a test to determine their practical knowledge of finance, accounting and other business basics. “From the first day of the class, we have some students who don’t know the difference be- tween a debit and a credit,” she remarks before the start of her 3:30 p.m. class. “They don’t know about the rules of finance and account- ing. They are already working in finance, but they don’t know what they are doing.” Yari explains that university programs typi- cally focus on theory instead of real business operations. “That’s why they need to attend these train- ings. They are practical sessions,” Yari says. “They need to know the software that is used in today’s markets. QuickBooks software is not taught during their bachelor’s program.” This is Yari’s sixth group of students, with class workforce in motion Instructor Negina Yari walks her trainees through the basics of finance as part of a 17-day course. Professionals and job seekers participate in an AWDP training in Kabul.