Business Development Services (BDS)

The ILO supports the development of markets for Business Development Services, primarily through the capacity building of intermediary service deliverers but also through interventions to improve the way markets work. Over the years the ILO has developed considerable expertise, credibility, networks, tools and experiences that can assist governments, employers, workers and other development practitioners in their work.

The ILOs strongest involvement in BDS has been in the following areas:

• Business management training. In the area of management training the ILO has training tools that cover the whole spectrum of target groups from illiterate micro entrepreneurs to growth oriented small and medium scale entrepreneurs, please see the SIYB homepage for one of the biggest global SME management training programmes for Micro and small entrepreneurs introduced in more than 100 countries. Please do also refer to the webpages on Women and Youth Entrepreneurship.
• Media based enterprise development programmes have been developed in Uganda, Zambia, China and Sri Lanka aiming at improving the way different media markets can support SMEs and at improving the business culture
• Research has been conducted into the linkages of BDS and financial services.
• ILOs training arm, the International Training centre of the ILO in Turin (http://www.itcilo.org) Offer a range of distance and in-person courses that transmit knowledge in supporting BDS markets and Value Chains, including (BDS and MARKETDEV)