Background

The Business Opportunities and Support Services (BOSS) Project supports the Institute for Business Support (IADE) of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs in boosting local economic development, enhancing Government service delivery and creating quality employment in rural areas by expanding market access for micro and small enterprises (MSEs), strengthening local contractors and improving the provision of business development services. The BOSS Project aims at ensuring nation-wide access to enhance and innovative needs- and market-oriented business development services through assisting IADE and its network of Business Development Centres (CDEs).

The Timorese private sector faces a myriad of impediments, including the lack of market access for products and services, the ineffective utilization of local resources or opportunities, and the limited and often ineffective involvement of civil works contractors in Government service delivery such as infrastructure works. A cause of these problems lies in the absence of the most valuable input for any economic activity: information, in particular information on business opportunities. Innovation is lacking, but innovative business ideas would help to increase viable economic activity.

IADE commit to improve business support services targeting small entrepreneurs by strengthening their staffs in delivering new services such as accredited training curricula, business coaching, business information and promotion and Business Incubation Facility.
With the support from ILO BOSS Project, IADE developed training curricula targeting contractors. The Pricing and Bidding and Business Management module is accredited in 2012 and being implemented in 11 districts since then.

The meeting

During three years of implementation, IADE has been adapting the training material, session plan and training aids to respond the need of entrepreneurs. IADE organize technical meeting from 21-23 December 2015 aimed at reviewing the training module, training session plan and training aids. In addition, the meeting will also discuss the experience of delivering the training programme and how to improve.

Objective

• To review and improve the training module of Pricing and Bidding and Business Management.