by P. Samuelsen
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose and scope of the report
The ILO's Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme has expanded rapidly during the last decade. More than 100,000 entrepreneurs, thousands of trainers and hundreds of small enterprise development organizations in more than 60 countries around the world have benefited from the SIYB programme.
The scope and contents of the SIYB activities, however, differ significantly around the world. Projects range from a one-off three-day training of entrepreneur intervention to regional projects with materials development and highly institutionalized training activities. The examples below illustrate the diversity of the scope of individual SIYB projects:
Geographical examples
Training of trainers Africa, Mongolia, China, Latin America
No training of trainers Latin America, Middle East,
Materials development Africa, China, Mongolia, Peru,
No materials development Latin America, Middle East
Institutional building Africa, Peru,
No institution building Latin America, China, Mongolia, Middle East
This paper is the first attempt to analyze the wide area of achievements and experiences of the global programme. The survey is not exhaustive but rather illustrative, as major parts of the world-wide SIYB activities have not been implemented by ILO and ILO has received only random reporting. The references in this paper list available evaluations and progress reports which have been reviewed.
In an effort to capture a wider area of SIYB activities, a questionnaire was distributed to existing SIYB Projects and ILO Area Offices around the world through the ILO's 14 Multi Disciplinary Teams (MDT). The responses represent valuable information on projects/organizations which have been/are implementing SIYB activities.
Responses cover the following countries: Mongolia, China, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Qatar, Syria, Jordan, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Chile, Mexico, and Honduras. In some of the countries only one-off SIYB seminars have been implemented, while other countries like Zambia have enjoyed extensive institutional support for more than a decade.
The present survey has been carried out in conjunction with the first global SIYB Workshop, held in Geneva in November 1996. The purpose of the workshop was to provide SIYB practitioners with an opportunity to interact and reflect on their diverse approaches, achievements and experiences, and to advise on key areas of future development of the global programme (proceedings report is available).
A draft edition of this report was presented at the workshop with the purpose of stimulating and enhancing cross-fertilization as well as the discussions on the future directions of the programme based on documented world-wide SIYB experiences. The present final version has been distributed to a wider group of potential and active SIYB practitioners around the world.
1.2 Acknowledgements
Gratitude is expressed to all SIYB practitioners who have taken time out from their busy working schedules to complete the distributed questionnaire. The author is likewise grateful to the ILO MDTs which have co-ordinated data collection at the regional level. Much inspiration and feedback has also been received from colleagues in the Small Enterprise Development Section in Geneva and during a mission to SIYB projects in Southern and Eastern Africa.
1.3 Introduction to the global SIYB programme
The SIYB programme has been developed by the ILO to meet the need of a suitable and practical management training programme for existing and potential small-scale entrepreneurs in developing countries. The uniqueness of the SIYB programme lies in the fact that the concepts are introduced in a practical, relevant and and simple manner.
The "Improve Your Business" (IYB) component provides a number of ideas on how to introduce basic management principles to entrepreneurs and stimulate them to apply such practices in their businesses.
The "Start Your Business" (SYB) component has been designed for people who want to start their own businesses. The objective of this training is to assist potential entrepreneurs in the completion of a feasibility study which can be submitted to a financial institution.
A recent development is "Know About Business" (KAB), an entrepreneurship training package for vocational and technical training institutions. KAB aims at creating awareness of entrepreneurship and self-employment as a career option.
The overall objective of the SIYB programme is to increase the viability of small-scale enterprises through the application of sound management principles which may lead to improving the profitability and viability of their businesses and to creation and/or sustenance of employment.
The SIYB programme is designed for organizations engaged in management training and small enterprise development (SED) in developing countries: employers' organizations, private sector associations, chambers of commerce, NGOs, government-supported small enterprise development organizations, government departments and private consulting companies. This diversity of user organizations helps the programme to optimize its outreach. In some countries these organizations establish a national focal point/co-ordinating committee/trainers association which co-ordinates and monitors SIYB activities in a wider geographical area.
ILO trains the user organizations' trainers, who, in turn, train entrepreneurs. Through this multiplier effect, large numbers of entrepreneurs benefit from the programme at a low cost. Capacity building for the user organizations is facilitated by workshops for the directors and training managers on training, administration, evaluation, etc. To enhance sustainability and continuity, the ILO now accredits national master trainers to conduct the training of SIYB trainers.
The ILO helps interaction between the various SIYB programmes around the world in order to contribute to the continuous development and upgrading of the programme as well as the exchange of experiences and best practice. Further introduction to the global SIYB programme is provided in a folder available in the ILO's Small Enterprise Development Section.
2. TARGET GROUP
2.1 Entrepreneurs trained
2.1.1 Many entrepreneurs reached
A conservative overall estimate is that more than 100,000 entrepreneurs have been trained through the global SIYB programme. In Eastern and Southern Africa alone, more than 27,000 entrepreneurs have been trained since 1984 (ILO 1996b:12). In India, more than 1,000 entrepreneurs have been trained by the Indian employers' organization around the country (1990 - 1993/Mehrotra & Singh 1992:3). 3,800 entrepreneurs were trained in Peru over a six-year period. 619 entrepreneurs were trained in Nigeria from 1993 to 1996. During three SYB and two IYB workshops in the Middle East, 212 entrepreneurs were trained.
2.1.2 Large outreach to women
Particularily in Africa the SIYB programme has had a large outreach to women entrepreneurs. According to an evaluation of a regional IYB project in Africa in 1994, "more than anything else, the programme has helped strengthen the industrial production and trading of female entrepreneurs" (SwedeCorp 1994:8.8). Records show that 61% of the entrepreneurs trained in Africa are women. A similar profile applies to the refresher training of entrepreneurs workshop in Africa and to the training of trainers workshops. In the follow-up business improvements groups for entrepreneurs, 90% of participants are women (IYB Bulletin, No 23). In the early 1990s in India, 3 workshops out of 42 were exclusively held for women entrepreneurs and the balance were for mixed groups with about 10% women (Mehrotra & Singh 1992:3; 1993:5).
This is only a general picture, however. In many countries women do not have access to training for such reasons as cultural barriers or few women's organizations (Ethiopia and Mozambique). One example is five workshops in the Middle East, where only 7 out of 212 entrepreneurs were women. In Mexico and Peru, workshops included around 30% women and 70% males over a six-year period. A workshop in China included only 6 women out of 18 participants. Similarly, in the South Pacific barely one-third of the region's trainees have been female. In the South Pacific the issue has been a major reason behind the newly proposed distance-learning approach aimed specifically at women and young people.
But women not only participate; evaluations show that women benefit more from the training. They are often more attentive and actively participating in the IYB seminars than their male counterparts (Clemensson 1993a:5). An evaluation of a specific IYB component for women entrepreneurs in Kenya during the period 1986 - 1990 states:
"the project has been highly successful in achieving its objective..... the training has had a high positive effect on the management behavior of the women entrepreneurs. The training of trainers has had an equally positive effect on the performance of the trainers" (Fich 1991)
2.1.3 Size of businesses is diverse
The enterprises reached by the SIYB programme range from micro enterprises to large enterprises. In Southern and Eastern Africa, almost half of the IYB participants (48%) are self employed with no employees. The others employ between 2 and 10 workers (46%) and only few (6%) employ more than 11 employees (IYB Bulletin, No. 22). Thus the majority belongs to the lower end of the small enterprise sector, i.e., the micro enterprises.
In India, the size of enterprises is greater. While 50% of the entrepreneurs have less than 10 employees, 40% have between 11 and 100 employees and about 10% have more than 100 employees! Similarly, in recent IYB workshops in Mexico and Nigeria all participants had more than 6 employees. In the Middle East the IYB workshop participants generally have more than 11 employees. These are trained in separate workshops for medium- size enterprises. The trainers in India find, however, that whenever participants from large-scale enterprises attend the workshops, the feedback from them has not been particularly favourable.
2.1.4 Educational background is diverse
The educational level of enterpreneurs range from participants with no formal education to MBA graduates and the like. In India, only 12% of the participants in the workshops have under-graduate training. A large number of the entrepreneurs have a high educational background i.e., graduate or bachelor level, often in the field of science and engineering. Some of the trained entrepreneurs even had a master of business administration or science degree (Molander & Tillhed 1989:30; Mehrotra & Singh 1992:10). Furthermore, half of these entrepreneurs have between 5 and 25 years' experience in running their own businesses; the rest have less than 5 years' experience (Molander & Tillhed 1989:30; Mehrotra & Singh 1992:10). In the Middle East, Nigeria, and China, all participants had more than 8 years of schooling.
The approach in Eastern and Southern Africa is entirely different. In these countries 66% of the entrepreneurs have primary or secondary education only and 9% have no educational background at all. 25% of the trained entrepreneurs have a higher education (IYB Bulletin No. 23). Lower education levels also characterize the Mexican and Peru workshops, where all participants had between 1 and 7 years of schooling.
With regard to business experience, however, 45% of the entrepreneurs trained in Africa have more than 4 years' experience and 41% have 1-3 years' experience. The remaining 14% of the participants in Africa have less than one year experience in managing a business (IYB Bulletin No. 21).
2.1.5 Type of business is diverse
The type of business is likewise diverse. These examples illustrate the diversity of the global programme in this respect:
Manufacturing Service Trade
India 70% 18% 12%
Africa 41% 27% 32%
Peru 60% 15% 25%
China 33% 63% 4%
Yemen 100% - -
Jordan 69% 8% 23%
(Some ratios represent large figures of trained entrepreneurs; others only a single SIYB workshop.)
2.2 Selection
The above sections readily suggest that the beneficiaries of the SIYB programme around the world do not form a homogeneous group. The SIYB projects and organizations have diverse target groups. Seminars have often been conducted exclusively for entrepreneurs with a specific need such as women (Mehrotra & Singh 1992:3; 1993:5), specific sectors/industries (Nigeria, Mexico, Peru, Syria, Jordan) or according to educational background (Nigeria), areas of interest/need, e.g. marketing and finance (India: Mehrotra & Singh 1992:6), or size of businesses (Nigeria, Peru, Latin America, United Arab Emirates).
In India and a few other countries, the selected participants have to some extent been entrepreneurs from the larger enterprises in the small enterprise sector and even medium-sized enterprises. In the African region the aim was initially small enterprises but shifted to the informal sector and the self-employed because of immense demand in this sector. Training requires analysis and careful selection for whatever criteria are widely recognized as crucial preconditions for successful workshops (Mehrotra & Singh 1993:7).
2.2.1 Selection of the intended beneficiaries is difficult
Although many projects and organizations have questionnaires and do interviews for this specific purpose (Latin America, Middle East, Africa etc.), selection and needs assessment still entail problems and constraints.
In Southern and Eastern Africa, for example, entrepreneurs should be in business for at least one year and have clear growth potential to be able to participate in IYB seminars. Similar approaches have been applied in most IYB programmes. As indicated above, however, the actual beneficiaries of the regional programme in Africa have been significantly different. 13% of the 27,000 trained entrepreneurs have had less than one years' experience in managing a business. And the situation is not changing. Figures for 1994 from the whole region (694 IYB participants) show 29% entrepreneurs with less than one year's business experience (IYB Bulletin No. 20).
There has been a tendency in the IYB collaborating organizations in Africa to accept potential entrepreneurs in the programmes (SwedeCorp 1994:3.2). This has been due to political pressure, for example, as well as a lack of adequate programmes to meet the strong demand for assistance to potential entrepreneurs in business start-up. The problem remains even though the regional project has specifically developed a needs assessment and selection guide for the purpose.
The IYB experience in India is that the course organizers have difficulties in reaching a sufficient number of participants from the intended target group. One of the major conclusions from an evaluation of the country's programme was that the user organizations are not selective enough:
"The employers' organizations should be more selective when inviting entrepreneurs to the workshops. The workshops are not intended for functional managers from large enterprises." (Molander & Tillhed 1989:41)
Another bias in the selection process, which has become evident in South Africa, is the workload of training needs analysis and the mistrust between people. A recent survey in the country shows that the SIYB trainers have difficulties in finding the necessary time and finances to conduct training needs analysis. Furthermore, the necessary personal information is difficult to get from the entrepreneurs as they do not fully trust the trainers (Ridsdale 1996:24).
3. TRAINING 3.1 Training materials
From the beginning in 1977, emphasis was on training materials. The basic idea was to adapt a range of materials entitled "Look After Your Firm," developed for Swedish entrepreneurs by the Swedish Employers' Confederation in the early 1970s to meet the need for suitable and practical management training materials for small-scale entrepreneurs with limited educational background in developing countries. It was anticipated that the training materials themselves would instruct entrepreneurs on how to improve their businesses with limited further training interventions.
The IYB Handbook and Workbook first published in 1986 was unique as it introduced basic business concepts in a simple, practical and self-instructing manner. The materials became very popular and have been the basis for IYB programmes in over 60 countries around the world. Country versions of the materials have been developed in most countries and translations have been carried out in more than 25 languages. The present survey confirms the relevance and usefulness of the material; most respondents attribute the strength of the programme to the quality of the training materials.
3.1.1 Advanced and simplified versions of original IYB materials
As already mentioned under section 2.2, the target group of the IYB programme is highly diverse. This fact has led to a request for and the development of a more advanced and upgraded version of the materials in India (Mehrotra & Singh 1993:10; 1992:2) and, at the same time, a more simplified version for Southern and Eastern Africa (SIDA 1988).
The revised IYB materials in India were based on feedback from participants and trainers. The revised abbreviated books cover five main areas: marketing (with more emphasis on the service sector, inventory marketing for production management and export), production, administration (with more emphasis on human resource management), financial management and business management. The materials have been field tested in Delhi and Rajasthan (Molander & Tillhed 1989:27; Mehrotra & Singh 1992:3). Similar advanced versions were developed by a Swiss NGO for use in Latin America. Whereas this material seem to be feasible for small enterprises, a major weakness in the Latin American programme has been that the material has proved highly theoretical for the micro-entrepreneurs.
In Southern and Eastern Africa the IYB materials have been entirely re-written to meet the needs of entrepreneurs with limited levels of formal education. The six manuals simplify the contents of the Handbook and Workbook and add additional basic management principles. They cover marketing, buying, stock control, record keeping, costing and business planning. Forms to complement the stock control, business planning, costing and record keeping manuals have also been developed. The IYB Basics was launched in 14 African countries in 1994.
Such topics as costing and pricing, financial management, and accounting have been highly appreciated by the entrepreneurs world-wide (Sida 1994:3.5; Mehrotra & Singh 1992:8; Molander & Tillhed 1989:32). However, marketing management is also appreciated. Perhaps this is because many of the other topics in the initial Swedish training package were never really applied to the needs of developing countries. The content of topics such as buying seems to differ substantially around the world.
The trainers' response to the new Basics for Africa has been that the materials have an easy and clear language, modular presentation of topics, comprehensive coverage of the content, step-by-step approach, familiar illustrations, and quality packing. This is confirmed in a recent survey of entrepreneurs and trainers in the South African SIYB programme (Ridsdale 1996). Translation of the IYB Basics into Amharic, Setswana, Portuguese and Swahili is now in process and ENT/MAN has adapted the materials in the form of an International Version of IYB Basics for use in other markets (ILO 1996b:12-16).
3.1.2 The SYB programme: a good supplement to the IYB programme
While the IYB programme supports entrepreneurs who are already in business, it has become increasingly evident that there is a strong demand for programmes that can provide similar support to potential entrepreneurs who are considering setting up their own small businesses.
During the first phase of an ILO project in Fiji, training material entitled SYB was developed. This material was later re-written at the ILO regional project office in the South Pacific. The material is divided into ten manuals: Should you state your business, business ideas and how to find them, planning your money, assessing the market, planning your organization, different ways of getting started, law and the small business, putting it all together: the business plan, keeping things under control, and building your sales.
The first eight manuals take the potential entrepreneur step by step through the preparation of a business plan. Manual nine is to help potential entrepreneurs beyond start-up by introducing simple book-keeping, cash control, credit control and stock control. Manual ten is designed to help the existing business that is not achieving the expected sales volume. As a supplement to these core books, a summary book as well as a "SYB doctor" with diagnostic questionnaires, a book on financial statements, and a book with SYB cases, are all available. The material is now being adapted to the needs in Papua New Guinea.
To test the SYB programme's suitability in the African context, a pilot project was launched for the Eastern and Southern African regions with the financial support of SwedeCorp. SYB training materials were presented in the form of a SYB Manual, a SYB feasibility study and a folder with country-specific information regarding local sources of technical, financial and management advice and assistance. The organizations and most entrepreneurs found the materials very suitable and practical. Some institutions such as banks found the materials too basic, however (ILO 1996a).
The SYB materials have proved to be a good supplement to the IYB programme. They can, in many cases, be delivered by the same institutions who deliver IYB training. The IYB and SYB programmes are complementary, as SYB programme participants who start their own businesses may, after some time, need additional training on how to manage and consolidate their businesses. This basic management training can be provided through the regular IYB programme. Topics from IYB can also be incorporated in the SYB training programme if the training needs of a specific target group are required (ILO 1996i:2; Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:2). An international SYB edition (Handbook and Workbook) has recently been completed and forms the basis for country adaptations to meet the specific requirements of a wide range of countries and regions.
3.1.3 The "Know About Business" (KAB) training materials
A recent development is the KAB training materials, an entrepreneurship training package for vocational and technical training institutions. KAB aims at creating awareness of entrepreneurship and self-employment as a career option and is as such preparing candidatmes for SYB training. KAB was successfully tested in Kenya in 1996. The training materials consist of a general trainers guide and 8 technical modules with the following topics: What is enterprise? Why entrepreneurship? Who are entrepreneurs? How do I become an entrepreneur? How do I find a good business idea? How do I organize an enterprise? How do I operate an enterprise? What are the next steps to become an entrepreneur? The modules contain transparencies, work sheets and handouts for flexible use by the trainer.
3.1.4 The Improve Your Construction Business (IYCB) training materials
The Construction Management Programme (CMP) of the ILO has developed a sector-specific derivative of the IYB programme in order to meet the specific needs of small contractors and at the same build on the experience of the IYB programme. The pilot IYCB project was undertaken in early 1990 in Ghana, which offered a demanding environment. The training materials were developed after assessment of the problems and needs of the target group. For small contractors, estimating and tendering are crucial activities, so the first handbook and workbook were entitled "Pricing and Bidding". The two priority topics of project planning and productivity are dealt with in the second set of materials. A third handbook and workbook are concerned with managing the enterprise as a commercial entity, including ensuring a reasonable balance between workload and resources, entitled "Business Management". The Ghana project showed that the IYCB concept works well in that country (Miles 1993).
3.1.5 SIYB supporting materials
Supplementary materials to the above core SIYB materials have been developed in various countries. Trainers' guides have been developed by a Swiss NGO in Latin America, and by ILO in India, Fiji, and Africa. Specific SYB trainers' guides have been developed for Southern and Eastern Africa as well as for South Pacific. A guide has also been developed for trainers in the IYCB programme. A generic trainers' guide for international use has not yet been created.
For Southern and Eastern Africa a training of trainers manual and a training of master trainers manual have been developed for the promotion of master trainers in the region. In the ILO Fiji project a workshop kit, a manual for promoting women in micro-enterprises together with a monitoring guide have been developed to assist accredited SIYB trainers organize and conduct workshops. Furthermore, a consultants' guide has been developed (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:2).
A unique monitoring and evaluation system has been developed by the regional project in Africa for the use of trainer's organizations as well as the regional project office. The intention is to provide management information at all levels of the institutional framework. The system is holistic, as it not only collects quantitative date, but it also provides tools for assessing impact at the enterprise level as well as tools for assessing the capacity of user organizations and their trainers. The system can also provide information and tools for special surveys and external evaluations (ILO 1996b:15).
An in-house evaluation, however, concluded that user organizations lack the necessary resources to utilize the system and do not really see the need for another reporting system:
"The monitoring and evaluation system is used to a limited extent because organizations find the system difficult to understand, hence equally difficult to implement. The system is seen to be too demanding on the part of collaborating organisations. ... Most organisations have their own reporting system. Using the M&E system was seen as creating extra workload. The IYB Programme was therefore seen as a different activity within the organizations because it requires a special reporting system." (ILO 1996g:4).
Under the SYB/IYB programme in Fiji a Small Business Advisory Unit (SABU) managed by a UN Volunteer developed a procedure for monitoring accredited trainers, as well as an IYB and SYB monitoring guide. The guide was published in 1993 (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:2). Monitoring and evaluation efforts have been carried out elsewhere, particularly in Latin America.
An important innovation is the SIYB Game, used extensively in Southern and Eastern Africa since 1995. The objective of the game is to provide both existing and potential entrepreneurs with an opportunity to experience the effects of their business decisions and actions on the performances of their businesses in a safe, simulated learning environment. The game facilitates transformation of the participants' SIYB management knowledge into skills and motivates them to learn more and develop their confidence.
A similar game was developed in India in 1992 for the use of teachers of engineering polytechnics. The game was designed with the object of making the students understand the concept of production management, marketing, management, costing, financial management and business administration (Mehrotra & Singh 1992:6).
Promotional materials have been developed in many regions. Videos have been developed for the South Pacific and Africa. In Latin America a whole range of videos has been developed for training purposes. For the Southern and Eastern African regions a promotional kit has been compiled, with tools for promoting IYB to entrepreneurs, potential user organizations, donors and other SED institutions. The kit includes leaflets, flyers, posters, programme descriptions and a bulletin. Furthermore, a promotional folder as well as an Internet homepage with information on the global SIYB programme has been developed at ILO Geneva Headquarters.
Distance learning materials have been developed for the Pacific countries in the form of a workbook with numerous exercises. Close collaboration has been established with the University of the South Pacific Extension Centres in the countries in the region. In South Africa a generic multimedia-based CD-ROM self-learning module for SYB training has been developed and field tested. The distance learning approach has also been pursued in Peru and other countries where self-study programmes have been developed to facilitate a fruitful combination of business work and SIYB training.
Finally, a generic guide to Production of Training Materials has been developed based on the experience of training materials development at the project office in Zimbabwe. The guide is a reference book for projects and user organizations which attempt to develop, translate and adapt training materials in general and the international SYB and IYB materials in particular.
The range of materials in the SIYB family seems to constantly widen. Numerous requests for new materials and tools as well as adaptations and translations have been made by the respondents to this survey. These are some of the proposed developments:
Request country
Audio-visual support for the training Costa Rica
New Spanish translations Costa Rica, Argentina
A book with case studies Nigeria
Module on export promotion Nigeria
Modules on personnel and financial management Nigeria
Adaptation for small business in mountain areas China
Adaptations for production, marketing and service areas Peru
Adaptation and new materials for the Middle East Five countries in the Middle East
During the first global SIYB Workshop in Geneva in 1996, the following requests were submitted by the 59 SIYB practitioners attending the Workshop: Sectoral adaptations for tourism, food-processing and garments, technical modules for productivity and production management, working conditions, women's module, credit and finance, business opportunity identification, and an "Expand Your Business" (EYB) training package to address the needs associated with growth and internationalization. An Internet-based communication system for experience sharing between lead practitioners of the programme and an Internet homepage with promotional information for the public were also suggested. ILO Headquarters was requested to concentrate on action research with focus on "best practice". Several proposals that came up during the Workshop are now under development in the field and at ILO Headquarters, Geneva (Samuelsen 1996).
3.2 Training methodologies
To a large extent the IYB programme has been associated with training materials, particularly the Handbook and Workbook first published in 1986. However, an equally important element in the success of the programme is the methodology by which the SIYB training is carried out. Some of it is embedded in the training materials, for example, the SIYB materials developed in Africa where the topics are presented using step-by-step explanations with numerous illustrations to bring out real-life situations which the entrepreneurs can identify with.
This table is an overview of characteristic training methodologies used in the programmes around the world:
Training methodologies Geographical examples
Class sessions Africa, Mongolia, China, Latin America
Games Africa, India, China, Peru
Real life, business examples Africa, Middle East, Latin America
Role Plays Africa, Qatar, Mexico, Peru
Participatory training Africa, Middle East, Latin America
Consultancy/extension Africa, Middle East, Peru
Lectures India, Middle East
Brainstorming, discussions Africa
Exercises Africa
3.2.1 A flexible training schedule is needed
Generally a SIYB seminar for potential and existing entrepreneurs consists of at least one week's intensive training. A survey of the Indian experience indicates, however, that as many as 72% of the participants say that "a two days' duration of IYB workshops was just right. However, 25% of the participants indicate that the duration needs to be increased to three days." (Mehrotra & Singh 1992:8). It has been suggested that 18 hours spread over four to five half days could be useful in India, as the entrepreneurs find it difficult to be away from their enterprises for a longer period (Molander and Tillhed 1989:28, 31). In South Africa it is also felt that being away from the enterprise is inconvenient (Ridsdale 1996:6,50). It is further confirmed by recent research that the absence of the manager in a small enterprise is very costly and naturally results in limited interest in training (Westhead & Storey 1996:20). A division into a number of short training interventions has been successfully implemented in many African countries, Ethiopia, for example.
3.2.2 Follow-up training: useful but expensive
In the region of Southern and Eastern Africa much effort has been directed towards follow-up activities in order to meet strong request and/or need among entrepreneurs. The follow-up methods used in the region are designed to reinforce the basic training delivered in the workshop and to help the entrepreneurs adopt the necessary management skills. The methods are based on the idea of business extension services and focus on enabling entrepreneurs to diagnose their own problems and find workable solutions by applying the basic management principles taught in the SIYB workshop. The idea is to transform awareness and knowledge into useable skills with direct implications in business management.
A training needs analysis can be conducted with the help of the tools available in the monitoring and evaluation system. If the entrepreneur has acquired very little knowledge of basic management, a regular refresher workshop would be needed. If the entrepreneur has acquired some knowledge and has adopted some of the relevant skills, a business improvement group emphasizing group-based action learning may be needed. If the entrepreneur has acquired most of the knowledge and has adopted many of the relevant skills but needs further assistance to resolve specific business problems, individual counselling is recommended.
The demand for follow-up training of entrepreneurs seems to be immense. In India, a request for a meeting where entrepreneurs can share their experience with other participants after about 3 to 6 months has come from the trained entrepreneurs. The method of sharing experiences and best practices in groups is effective and has been used extensively as an integrated part of the SIYB training method in many countries also outside Southern and Eastern Africa, in the United Arab Emirates, for example. In a number of Latin American countries entrepreneurs' own business experience has been an integral part of the IYB workshops.
In Fiji, the objective of the Small Business Advisory Unit (SBAU) was to "provide referral services related to business consultancies for SYB/IYB workshop participants as well as to provide a computerized information database on the supply and demand for consultancy services" (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:3). The SBAU was set up in storefront premises to encourage people to drop in, talk about their own business ideas and find solutions to their business problems. Without much effort to promote this aspect of the SBAU's services, it has attracted a significant number of visitors (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:9).
In spite of the effectiveness and demand for follow-up activities, an in-house assessment of the follow-up system in Southern and Eastern Africa shows that not many organizations use the follow-up training methods and that the intervention is accorded low priority by user organizations. Follow-up training methods are perceived to be a more expensive form of intervention and too demanding on trainers (ILO 1996d). A similar reaction has been expressed by the majority of course directors in India. Follow-up activities are not possible to organize because of lack of financial resources and manpower. Follow-up activities are not a part of the Indian programme (Molander & Tillhed 1989:31).
3.3 The SIYB trainers
A third and equally important element of the SIYB training is the trainers. Thousands of SIYB trainers have been trained around the world. In India alone, 214 trainers have been trained. More than 170 trainers have been trained in the Pacific region since 1994. In Latin America, 200 trainers have been trained, of which 50 had practical working experience as entrepreneurs.
In Southern and Eastern Africa, 2,000 IYB trainers from 110 organizations have been trained since 1985. 60% of these trainers are women. Almost half of the trainers have been trained in Kenya, where the project office was located until 1988, and more than 10,000 of the 27,000 entrepreneurs trained in the region have been trained in Kenya (ILO 1996b:11). 274 of the trained trainers have undergone refresher training of trainers and 84 have participated in follow-up training. 45% of these follow-up participants are women (IYB Bulletin No. 24). This proportion of women trainers clearly reflects the significant outreach to women entrepreneurs in the African programme. A few other SIYB programmes like the SBAU in Fiji have also followed up on accredited trainers and consultants (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:10).
3.3.1 SIYB trainers have diverse backgrounds
SIYB trainers have very different educational and experience background. These are some of the most common backgrounds identified:
Trainers background Geographical examples
Consultants Africa, China, India, Mexico, Peru, Middle East,
Higher education Latin America, India
SED trainers/officers Africa, Middle East, Peru
Teachers Africa, China, Latin America, Mongolia,
Entrepreneurs Africa, China, Latin America, Middle East, India
3.3.2 Training of trainers workshop: long and short
Two distinct examples of training of trainers' workshops again are India and Southern and Eastern Africa.
In India the trainers are co-ordinators or "course directors" with limited practical business experience. They are assigned the overall task of conducting the training course in different Indian regions, assisted by the support faculty. This faculty can be senior managers from a bank who help in explaining the chapter concerning financial management, for example, or a former managing director talking about marketing based on personal experience (Molander & Tillhed 1989:28).
The training of trainers consists of only a few days' introduction to the IYB programme. An evaluation in 1992, however, indicates that 85% of the Indian trainers (sample of 68 trainers) think that the workshop was good/very good and well planned. 68% indicate that the three days' duration of trainers' workshop was adequate. 20% indicated that the workshop could be reduced as they already had relevant teaching experience. All trainers were graduates and post graduates. In a few cases, they also had Ph.D. qualifications (Mehrotra & Singh 1992:13).
As an illustration, five IYB trainers' workshops were held for teachers of engineering polytechnics in collaboration with the Directorate of Technical Education of the State Government. The objective was that these teachers in turn could teach entrepreneurship to the students of the Diploma programme in Engineering (Mehrotra & Singh 1992:5).
In Southern and Eastern Africa most SIYB training of trainers workshops are conducted in a participatory, step-by-step manner, using a variety of exercises, etc. The participants are introduced to a range of training techniques and approaches varying from group work and case studies to role playing and brainstorming. Participants make short presentations of SIYB topics to the group, etc.
The educational level and the technical competence of the trainers in Southern and Eastern Africa have been generally low. 52% have less than an A level (IYB Bulletin No. 23). The selection of organizations and trainers has recently been improved, however. For this reason, the trainers' seminars have been redesigned with emphasis on the use of the training package rather than the introduction to basic business topics (ILO 1996b:11).
According to a recent evaluation of the training of trainers in South Africa, the trainers find that the programme provides them with an enhanced knowledge of business management practices, as well as personal teaching skills. They find the materials extremely user-friendly and flexible. It was suggested that the four weeks of training of trainers covering both IYB and SYB could be reduced by one week. (Ridsdale 1996:7, 26).
4. SUSTAINABILITY
4.1 Institutionalization has reached far
A major objective of the SIYB programme is that the management training becomes institutionalized in the user organizations as one of their regular activities, so that it can take place without support from the ILO. The table below illustrates the variety of small enterprise development activities that the user organizations are involved in and that the SIYB activities are closely linked with:
Geographical examples
Credit Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Peru, Syria
Export Nigeria, Yemen, Qatar,
Consultancy/extension Nigeria, Peru, Costa Rica, Jordan, Syria,
Marketing Nigeria, Peru, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Qatar
Technology Nigeria, Peru, Yemen,
Vocational training Nigeria, China, Jordan, Syria, Zambia, Malawi
In Southern and Eastern Africa, a comprehensive strategy for institutionalizing SIYB training in the region was introduced in 1991, the objective being that the collaborating organization will eventually be capable of handling the training of entrepreneurs using the IYB materials and methods without outside assistance (Clemensson 1993b:7). The strategy has three stages (according to the programme description of the project):
Stage 0: The pre-IYB stage. The organizations support entrepreneurs on their own. They express the opinion that they would benefit from having simple and adequate training materials and a basic training methodology to train entrepreneurs with limited educational background.
Stage 1: The introduction stage. The IYB Regional Project Office offers the IYB programme to the organizations if they can demonstrate commitment, resources, network and long-term ability to bear the training costs. The ILO/IYB provides direct assistance to each Collaborating Organization during this stage.
Stage 2: The national IYB programme in place. The organizations elect a Focal Point and/or form a National Steering Committee which takes responsibility for the IYB programme in the country. At this stage, the ILO/IYB provides support to the Focal Point and can assist the committee in soliciting bridging funds from locally represented international donors.
Stage 3: The institutionalized national programme. The Collaborating organizations and the Steering Committee are running IYB programme on their own. Dependency on the ILO/IYB and the donors is gradually diminished. The ILO/IYB's support is mainly in quality control.
This institutionalization process has been facilitated through a 'franchise' strategy. The regional office has introduced agreements with the IYB focal points and the master trainers as well as an agreement between the focal points and the user organizations. The project office also carried out missions and institutionalization workshops to practically assist the national programmes in the institutionalization process. By the end of 1995, stage 3 of independent national programmes was reached by 9 out of the 15 countries where the project has introduced IYB. In 12 countries the user organizations are financing training from their own funding activities (ILO 1996b:6,9).
A structural analysis of the project in 1994 indicates that the rapid growth of the entire network of user organizations had some necessary but unfortunate consequences. Some of the organizations involved in training are not well versed in enterprise development issues. In some countries the institutional framework has been spread throughout many weak user organizations. This has not encouraged commitment and integration of the IYB training programme into the organizations' regular services. While the general conclusion is that the network of organizations accomplishes its task satisfactorily, some roles in the network of the organizations have been neglected and others have attracted too many actors (SwedeCorp 1994:7.20).
Since 1996, an integration into the ILO's field structure has been initiated. The ILO's Multidiciplinary Teams in Harare and Addis Ababa and the Area Office in Pretoria will seek to provide the advisory and supporting services that the project office has previously provided. Presently, one SIYB Liaison Officer is operational in each of the three offices (Clemensson 1996).
Some degree of institutionalization has also been achieved in such countries as India, Costa Rica and the United Arab Emirates, where local organizations and the Chamber of Commerce have organized SIYB workshops after the project period. One of the weaknesses experienced in Costa Rica is precisely that "there is not a focal point in Central America or Mexico to give the appropriate follow-up".
4.2 Organizational sustainability is crucial at all levels
As a part of the institutionalization process, the SIYB training co-ordinators in the national focal points in Southern and Eastern Africa are being briefed on their role in annual regional workshops. The face-to-face discussions have benefited both the co-ordinators and the project staff through a high degree of interaction and consultative planning and review. The co-ordinators are also continually trained on the job during the project staff's visits to the various countries (ILO 1996b:10).
Increased emphasis is placed on capacity building of user organizations in the present SIYB project in South Africa and the regional SYB project in Harare covering Zambia, Zimbabwe and Uganda, particularly in the form of programme implementation workshops at the level of the individual user organizations. The workshops provide planning tools and encourage internal discussions on how to institutionalize the SIYB programme in the organization.
This approach is not uncomplicated, however, as some trainers feel that the SIYB project is only interested in their organizations and do not follow up on the trainers' training interventions. This particular problem was emphasized among the IYB trainers in a recent survey of the South African SIYB programme. One trainer expressed it this way:
"Our organizations do not inform us of the ILO course and there is very little transparency between the ILO and our organizations and ourselves. There is a serious lack of access to information and understanding of memoranda. I wish that the ILO should rather communicate with us trainers personally because we are never well informed of what is going on and I consider the selection process to be problematic." (Ridsdale 1996:23)
This conclusion suggests a high priority of institutionalization at all organizational levels.
4.3 Technical sustainability through master trainers
Until recently all training of national co-ordinators and trainers in Southern and Eastern Africa has been conducted by the regional project office in Harare. A new approach has been to train master trainers who in turn train the IYB trainers. The aim is to achieve a national capacity for reducing the dependency on the regional project office's training of trainers. The office's role is then shifted to assuring quality by assisting and developing master trainers. The office has trained 50 master trainers in 11 countries in the region who are now training trainers (ILO 1996b:10).
An in-house evaluation indicates that the training was well organized and the trainers felt that they gained a good deal. It was felt that the experience gained was useful not only for IYB training but also for other management training programmes. Most of the master trainers are able to carry out effective training of trainers with minimum assistance from the regional project office (ILO 1996c:4).
The approach in the Pacific region is similar. In these countries trainers' associations with their own executive committees and offices have been set up in 7 countries. In Tonga, the trainers'association was able to implement its own SYB training of 18 trainers. This organization has drawn up its own constitution, submitted a project proposal for funding, and has been meeting regularly to plan additional training programmes. Similar training of trainers arrangement has been conducted in Vanuatu by the SYB trainers' association (Briscoe 1996:6).
4.4 Financial sustainability is achieved to a large extent
The above mentioned agreement based on the 'franchise' approach, the good reputation of the training system and the quality of the trainers, has lead to some degree of financial sustainability in countries in Southern and Eastern Africa. In Zimbabwe the point has been reached where trainers at any rate are able to charge the full cost for their training (IYB Bulletin No. 22). Harper mentions in his report, 'Small Enterprise Development - Value for Money' that the "IYB, as is so often hoped for small enterprise development projects, but is so rarely achieved in practice, is itself becoming a successful business." (Harper 1995:19).
Financial sustainability does not provide the full dimension of cost-effectiveness, however. Harper mentions that the project's heavy investments in the development of organizational capacity since 1983 should be taken into account before a final judgement can be made (Harper 1995:21). According to evaluation of the regional project in Africa in 1994, "It must be seen as a partial failure to be in business 17 years after the start of the programme, but we think the chances are good - following the last four years of achievements - that the programme may come to an end." (SwedeCorp 1994:8.9).
Attempts to achieve financial sustainability have been initiated in other SIYB projects around the world. In Latin America, user organizations are encouraged to raise 100% of the training costs through participants' fees. Depending on the country, participants contribute 70 - 100% of the direct cost of training. The local executing organizations bear the rest of the costs. In China, 50% of the cost of an IYB workshop in 1994 was covered by the participants.
In the Middle East, a cost sharing between the executing Chamber of Commerce and the ILO has been established. The Chambers of Commerce contributed 20% - 35% to the costs of the SIYB training and materials in four workshops during 1991 - 1996. A fifth workshop in 1988 was entirely paid for by the ILO. This type of cost sharing with ILO has been implemented in other countries too, for example Costa Rica and Nigeria, where the ILO, local organizations, the Government, and the participants have contributed to the costs of training and materials to various degrees.
In Fiji, the problem of financial sustainability has been solved in a different way. SBAU is simply a part of the Fiji Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Civil Aviation and thus financially ensured. This strategy makes the activities sustainable but not self-sustainable. It has been suggested that a modest fee for more significant services might be charged, to ensure that SABU is at least partly self-financing (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:20).
In India, two one-day workshops were held in 1993 with full cost coverage by participants (Rs. 500 per participant in 1993) (Mehrotra & Singh 1992:7; 1993:11). External funding is still received from the ILO, however.
4.5 Technical relevance - a precondition for financial sustainability
During a round table meeting in Bombay in 1993, the Executive Secretary of one of the organizations whose IYB workshop has actually generated a marginal surplus stressed that the technical level and relevance of the workshop to the needs of the entrepreneurs is a crucial precondition for financial sustainability:
Mr. K K Nair stated that "the success of any programme is dependent upon the capability and professional standing of the faculty lecturing in the programme". He said that "an ideal faculty for success of any programme like IYB involves people who not only have sound academic knowledge, but are also successful practitioners in industry". He mentioned that " in the IYB workshops the contents must be specific and the faculty must correlate their experience to the needs of the participants". He saw the possibility of running one-day programmes on each functional areas of management. (Mehrotra & Singh 1993:11)
Complete cost coverage is only possible if the needs of consolidated enterprises are addressed. In rural India the price of one or two days' IYB programme is significantly lower (Rs. 200). Furthermore, the price of the Workbook and Handbook should be kept low; otherwise it is not possible to organize workshops on a self-financing basis (Mehrotra & Singh 1993:13).
This corresponds to the problems encountered with the introduction of the IYB Basics materials in the informal sector in Africa, where local organizations are reluctant to buy the materials for further sale in the IYB workshops because of the price. Some collaborating organizations lack funds to buy the materials, and many entrepreneurs cannot afford the manuals (ILO 1996f). Furthermore, the approach in Latin America with almost full cost covering is not addressing the needs of the real micro enterprise.
4.6 SIYB, employers' organizations and an enabling environment
Not only is it possible for organizations through technically relevant SIYB workshops to cover the costs of their services to their clients; careful implementation of SIYB can also increase the membership of the user organizations. This has been indicated in a study of the employers' organizations using the IYB programme in India (Molander & Tillhed 1989:35). For employers' organizations there are also some interesting implications of improved influence on government policies to the advantage of the members.
The perspectives of an improved enabling environment for small enterprises through strengthened employers' organizations led to the implementation of a project "Assistance to employers' organizations with special emphasis on promoting small enterprise development" funded by Danida. The main objective was to strengthen the capabilities of employers' organizations to assist small entrepreneurs in managing their enterprises and to provide advice and guidance. This was done by introducing the IYB training programme. (Clemensson 1993:1).
5. IMPACT Numerous efforts have been made to assess and evaluate to what extent the SIYB programme is meeting its objectives. Evaluations of management training programmes have generally raised questions like "do we get value for money?" (Harper 1995) and "why is the link between management training and small firm performance so weak?" (Westhead & Storey 1996). One of the most comprehensive and recent evaluations of the impact of IYB training on entrepreneurs is the SwedeCorp evaluation of the regional project in Africa in 1994 (SwedeCorp 1994). The report raises the following questions: What do the participants think of the courses? What do they learn from the courses? Do they apply new skills on the job? Do the new skills make any difference for the companies?
5.1 What do the participants think of the courses?
The above evaluation reveals that the participants appreciated the programme. They generally think it was useful and interesting. It covered topics of relevance to the participants. Only a minor share of 5% express dissatisfaction with teachers, training materials or contents. This corresponds entirely with another evaluation of IYB in Botswana in 1993 (IFS 1993; ILO 1993:6). 5.2 What do the participants learn from the courses?
The evaluation in Southern and Eastern Africa indicates a number limitations in terms of actual learned business management skills. First the learning is concentrated on two of the IYB topics (record-keeping and costing). This is confirmed by other evaluations (Sida 1988:32; Mehrotra & Singh 1992:8; Molander & Tillhed 1989:32). Secondly, only half of the entrepreneurs learn around 50% of the contents of the programme, and the remaining half much less. 30% must be judged to have understood little and have come away from the course without having gained new insights. Thirdly, the managers seldom use the textbooks and exercises to continue studying and learning on their own as anticipated in the programme. This is confirmed in the evaluation of IYB in Botswana (IFS 1993).
The two evaluations of the regional project in Africa (SIDA 1988; SwedeCorp 1994) specifically found that the largest impact of the programme was in changing peoples' attitudes to business activity by creating awareness and giving eye-openers (Sida 1988:33). "Almost all participants have learnt something of the most simplest and most elementary business rules" (SwedeCorp 1994:5.4). Other experiences are similar e.g. a workshop in Syria in 1992 and the evaluation of a project for women entrepreneurs in Kenya (Fich 1991:58). Raising awareness of potential areas of business improvements is not a skill or "know how" that will assist the entrepreneur in carrying out business improvements and it is not enough to make entrepreneurs use the training materials (SwedCorp 1994:4.5). This problem area is a major foster behind the IYB follow-up programme in Southern and Eastern Africa.
Although awareness is far from being a useable management skill in the enterprise, it is the first step in the direction of trying to improve the economic performance of enterprises through business management techniques. This has been clearly pointed out by Fich in her evaluation of IYB women entrepreneurs in Kenya:
"Training people with an expectation of changing attitudes - and especially of changing the behavior related to certain attitudes - is one of the most difficult and complicated areas of 'attack'. Old behavioral patterns stick - making sense or not - and discrepancies between ideas and attitudes on one side and behavioral practice on the other side are a part of human 'nature' that we face every day. The first step in changing human behavior is a change in attitude; the practical consequences for the related behavior may not be seen for some time to come. Hence, the success rate of a programme aiming at behavioral change in social relations may be low, but never-the-less satisfactory." (Fich 1991:58).
5.3 Do participants apply the new skills on the job?
Those who learn the IYB message often apply their knowledge. In Southern and Eastern Africa around 65% of those that are in business apply skills they have learnt on the course, and the benefits are often directly visible in the companies. Another 25% of the entrepreneurs apply even more skills, over a wider range of subjects. This comes up to a total of 90% of the participants who apply the (few or many) skills they have learnt. It is only a small share (less than 10%) of those who are in business who do not apply anything at all from the courses. These positive findings correspond with the evaluation of IYB in Botswana in 1993, and an evaluation of the regional project in Africa conducted by Sida in 1988 (IFS 1993; Sida 1988:31)
5.4 Do the new skills make any difference for the companies?
Out of those who really learn from the IYB, the impact is quite high in terms of growth rate, employment and profitability. So indeed the cost of the training can be justified (SwedeCorp 1994). This corresponds with an evaluation of the national SIYB project in Fiji in 1994, where 76% of the IYB participants interviewed improved their businesses after the training (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:7).
5.5 The SYB component generates employment
An internal evaluation of a pilot test of the SYB package in Zimbabwe and Uganda was carried out in 1996 (ILO 1996a). In spite of the fact that the selection criteria for potential entrepreneurs to attend the workshops were not always met, the results show a clear impact of the programme for potential entrepreneurs. 18% of those who attended a SYB workshop changed their business ideas afterwards, indicating that a critical review of their idea was undertaken. 74% of the participants finalized their feasibility study. 88% used the SYB feasibility study booklet and most financing institutions (74%) have accepted the format. At the time of the evaluation (eight months after the training), as many as 45% of the participants had started their businesses and 233 jobs were created among the 154 entrepreneurs interviewed.
At the time of the evaluation quite a few participants were still waiting for answers from the applied loan institutions so the results of the SYB training could have come out even more positively. An evaluation in Fiji in 1993 indicates almost the same results, namely that 33% of the potential entrepreneurs started a business after the SYB training (Briscoe & Naisoro 1994:7). It has been estimated that in Tonga alone, 59 enterprises have created 221 jobs as result of SYB training. It is further estimated that at least 1,200 jobs have been created on a regional basis (ILO 1997).
6. SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
This survey sets out to take stock of the achievements and experiences with the ILO's global SIYB programme. This chapter will provide a summary and a brief overview of the findings.
6.1 Diverse target groups and training approaches
The ILO's Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme has expanded rapidly during the last decade. More than 100,000 entrepreneurs, thousands of trainers and hundreds of small enterprise development organizations in over 65 countries around the world have benefited from the SIYB programme.
This development has resulted in a highly diverse programme in a number of key areas such as target group, materials, methodology, and trainers.
As a result of the diverse target groups, various tailored training interventions have been implemented. These are some of the target group parameters to which training has been tailored:
Target group Geographical examples
Women India, Africa
Specific sectors/industries Nigeria, Latin America, Syria, Jordan
Size of businesses India, Africa, Latin America, United Arab Emirates.
Educational background Latin America, Africa, India.
The IYB Handbook and Workbook, which has been the "selling point" during the whole expansion around the world, is now not only represented in more than 65 country versions and 25 languages but has also been both advanced and simplified to meet specific needs in India and Africa respectively. The "Start Your Business" (SYB) training materials initially conceived in Fiji have been redesigned for use in the whole Pacific region and a different version has been designed for use in Africa. A recent development is the "Know About Business" (KAB) materials, an entrepreneurship training package for vocational and technical training institutions. That package was field tested in Kenya in 1996. Sector-specific training materials entitled Improve Your Construction Business (IYCB) have also been developed and field tested in Ghana.
Diverse SIYB supporting materials have likewise been developed in different corners of the world during the proliferation of the programme:
Trainers' guides have been developed in Latin America, India, Fiji, and for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Monitoring and evaluation systems have been developed for Southern and Eastern Africa, Fiji and Latin America.
The SIYB Game has been developed for SIYB seminars in Africa. Another game has been developed for entrepreneurship training for Indian engineering polytechnics.
Videos and promotional materials have been developed in Southern and Eastern Africa. In Latin America a whole range of videos has been developed for training purposes.
A training of trainers manual and a training of master trainers manual have been developed for the promotion of master trainers in Southern and Eastern Africa.
A workshop kit, a consultants guide, and a manual for promoting women in micro-enterprises to assist trainers in organizing and conducting workshops have been developed in the ILO Fiji project.
Distance learning materials have been developed for the Pacific countries. In South Africa a generic multimedia-based CD-ROM self-learning module for SYB training has been developed and field tested. Distance learning approaches have also been pursued in Peru and other countries.
A guide to development, translation and adaptation of the international versions of the SYB and IYB training materials in particular has been developed in the Regional Project Office in Zimbabwe.
A wide range of training methodologies has also been used for different countries around the world:
Training methodologies Geographical examples
Class sessions Africa, Mongolia, China, Latin America
Games Africa, India, China, Peru
Real life business examples Africa, Middle East, Latin America
Role Plays Africa, Qatar, Mexico, Peru
Participatory training Africa, Middle East, Latin America
Consultancy/extension Africa, Middle East, Peru
Lectures India, Middle East
Brainstorming, discussions Africa
Exercises Africa
The educational background of SIYB trainers varies from Ph.D. professors to trainers in local NGOs with less than an A level degree. Some organizations (e.g. in India) draw on a support faculty of trainers with substantial practical experience in a particular field:
Trainers' background Geographical examples
Consultants Africa, China, India, Mexico, Peru, Middle East,
Higher education Latin America, India
SED trainers/officers Africa, Middle East, Peru
Teachers Africa, China, Latin America, Mongolia,
Entrepreneurs Africa, China, Latin America, Middle East, India
The diversity of the global SIYB programme can be well illustrated by the differences between the IYB programme in India and Africa:
6.2 Sustainability is achieved to a large extent
Sustainability has been emphasized in Southern and Eastern Africa. A comprehensive institutional framework has been developed to ensure financial, technical and organizational sustainability. The strategy is based on
capacity building in user organizations beyond training of trainers;
election of national focal points/steering committees which can take responsibility for the national SIYB programme;
training of master trainers who are accredited to train SIYB trainers;
franchising of user organizations based on agreements with focal points and master trainers and be tween focal points and the user organizations;
maintenance by the ILO's field structure when some sustainability is achieved.
Another example of a comprehensive institutionalization process is the Pacific experience. The Pacific SYB trainers have established trainers' associations who conduct their own training of SYB trainers with limited assistance, for example.
By 1995, 9 of the 15 countries covered by the regional IYB programme for Southern and Eastern Africa have significantly diminished their dependency on the ILO SIYB project and the donors. In some countries (Zimbabwe for example) trainers are able to charge the full cost for their training.
IYB trainers in India and in the Latin American countries have also been able to charge the full cost of their training. In China, participants have been able to contribute 50 % of the cost of an IYB workshop. And in a number of Middle Eastern and African countries, together with Costa Rica and other countries, SIYB workshops have been financed through a cost sharing between ILO, governments and local user organizations.
6.3 Technical relevance - a precondition for sustainability
It was stated by the Executive Secretary of one of the user organizations which has been able to generate a marginal surplus based on their IYB workshop that "success of any programme depends upon the capability and professional standing of the faculty who is lecturing in the programme...an ideal faculty for success of any programme like IYB is having people who not only have sound academic knowledge, but also are successful practitioners in industry...in the IYB workshop the contents must be specific and the faculty must correlate their experience to the need of the participants." (Mehrotra & Singh 1993:11).
Furthermore, it has been difficult to have participants in marginalized or rural areas pay for the IYB courses; full cost coverage by poor participants is not realistic. It has also been difficult to charge entrepreneurs in the informal sector in Africa for training materials, notably the IYB Basics.
Evaluations have emphasized that higher relevance of training can be achieved through the implementation of training needs analysis, selection of participants, follow-up training, and monitoring and evaluation. Experience shows that follow-up training is requested by entrepreneurs (in India and Africa, for example), on the one hand, while on the other hand trainers and organizations find this area of intervention too demanding in terms of finance and manpower.
Many responses indicate that full cost covering is difficult to achieve in the rural areas:
In rural India the entrepreneurs can only afford to pay less than half the cost price of one or two days' IYB training.
The cost price of the IYB Basics in Africa and the Handbook and Workbook in India is difficult to charge in rural areas.
Full cost covering is only achievable in Latin America in the small enterprise sector, not in the micro-enterprise sector.
A finding from both Africa and India is that relevant and attractive IYB training by employers' organizations can strengthen the organizations and their political influence.
6.4 Substantial impact on skills and businesses
Impact of SIYB training is achieved in a number of areas. The figures below refer to the African experience but have to a large extent been confirmed by evaluations in other regions:
Participants appreciate the IYB course
90% of participants become aware of basic business principles
50% of the entrepreneurs learn substantial business management skills
90% apply the learned skills in the businesses
65% of the applied skills have directly visible results in businesses.
After applying skills, entrepreneurs have a higher growth rate, employment and profitability than the national average of the small-scale enterprise sector.
Training has a relatively high impact on women. More than 60% of the entrepreneurs and 45% of the trainers trained in Africa are women.
45% of participants start their businesses eight month after the SYB workshop.
Evaluations further emphasize that "training people with an expectation of changing attitudes - and especially of changing the behaviour related to certain attitudes - is one of the most difficult and complicated areas of 'attack'. Old behavioural patterns stick - making sense or not - and discrepancies between ideas and attitudes on one side and behavioural practice on the other side are a part of human 'nature' that we face every day. The first step in changing human behaviour is a change in attitude; the practical consequences for the related behaviour may not be seen for some time to come. Hence, the success rate of a programme aiming at behavioural change in social relations may be low, but never- the-less satisfactory." (Fich 1991:58).
Based on this statement, the above-mentioned programme results seem to indicate a substantial impact in a number of key areas.
Reviewed literature
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Fich L. 1991: Improve Your Business training programme for women trainers, instructors, group leaders, phase II: An evaluation of the IYB programme for women in Kenya.
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Ridsdale G 1996: An evaluation of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Improve Your Business / Start Your Business (IYB/SYB) programme in South Africa.
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Westhead P. & Storey D. 1996: Management Training and Small Firm Performance: Why is the link so weak?. In International Small Business Journal 14,4.