Peru reinforces commitment to SME development with SCORE Training partnership

• ↑ 70 SMEs will receive support from the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) in Peru to advance towards increased productivity and better working conditions
• SCORE Training demonstrates that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can ↑ productivity and ↓ costs.
• Experiences demonstrate better work climate and improved cooperation in companies participating in SCORE Training.

In order to promote quality management and productivity via improved cooperation in SMEs, PRODUCE yesterday reinforced its partnership with the ILO, committing to continue offering training and technical assistance to SMEs through the implementation of SCORE Training.

"The train of opportunities passes quickly and does not make any stops. And for SMEs, that train of opportunity is SCORE Training ", exclaimed Jonathan Ríos Morales, General Director of Business Development of PRODUCE. He also announced that the Ministry will offer 70 scholarships for SMEs that want to move forward with a module of SCORE Training during 2018. The announcement was made this Wednesday before an audience of SME managers at the PRODUCE facility.

SCORE Training is a capacity building and technical assistance methodology for SMEs, designed by the ILO and validated in more than 10 countries worldwide. In Peru, it is implemented with the support of SECO and NORAD and in coordination with PRODUCE and the Ministry of Labour. More than 180 SMEs have already implemented SCORE Training, achieving increased productivity of up to 43% and a reduction in staff turnover and absenteeism by 45% and 20%, respectively.

The State has already committed the resources to offer this powerful tool to companies to ensure productivity and working conditions. But the most important commitment is yours: to make the decision to invest your time"

Jonathan Ríos Morales, General Director of Business Development of PRODUCE

According to data, 95% of business improvement efforts fail and in 87% of the cases*, the failure lies in the lack of commitment and cooperation between managers and workers. "SCORE Training reinforces this cooperation, strengthens soft skills and promotes a continuous improvement culture that directly affects productivity and working conditions," said Olga Orozco, International Expert in Responsible and Sustainable Enterprises of the ILO. "The companies that advance in the implementation of this methodology lay the foundations to achieve, in a sustainable way, management and compliance systems that are now essential to stay in the market," she added.

The Vice Minister of MSMEs and Industry, Javier Dávila, agreed that "quality certifications are not an expense, but investments that result in improved productivity." To accompany SMEs in this process of compliance with quality requirements, the Ministry of Production has included SCORE Training as an essential tool in the package of services that companies offer. Within the framework of the Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry and the ILO, with the new announced scholarships, the aim is to extend the scope of SCORE Training to companies in the Southern region of Peru during the second half of the year.

*The Lean Enterprise Institute (2010)

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The Peruvian Ministry of Production and ILO continue to promote productivity, quality and working conditions in SMEs through the SCORE Training methodology