Development of the North Caucasus region, job creation and SME growth
Development of the North Caucasus region, job creation and SME growth was a main theme of the North Caucasus Entrepreneurship and Employment Workshop organized by the International Labour Organization in Kislovodsk on 29-30 January 2008.
29 January 2008
The workshop brought together representatives of organizations working with small and medium-size enterprises (SME) - ministries, state employment services, public and private BDS (business development services) institutions from Republics of Ingushetia, Chechnya, and North Ossetia-Alania.
The workshop considered results of a pilot project implemented by ILO and financially and locally supported by UNDP Russia (under the SIDA-funded project for sustainable reintegration in the North Caucasus). The project was aimed at entrepreneurship development and training through the application of ILO’s SIYB (Start and Improve Your Business) methodology.
More then 45 competent certified SIYB trainers have been prepared in all three republics, and now they constitute a qualified national pool of BDS practitioners able to work on development of micro- and small enterprises. More than 150 entrepreneurs were trained on generating a business idea, starting business, and improving business modules by the newly prepared SIYB trainers in Ingushetia, Chechnya, and North Ossetia-Alania. The main result of the pilot project was the creation of this local potential that can continue entrepreneurial training and development beyond the ILO and UNDP intervention.
Final evaluation sheets showed that the workshop participants highly assessed the project results. They expressed readiness to apply SIYB and contribute towards SME development in their republics.