Effective Microenterprise Education

1. Effective Microenterprise Education Shoshana Hecker March 12, 2004 7th Annual MicroEnterprise Conference Center for Economic Self-Reliance Brigham Young University, Marriott School

2. Presentation Overview • Overview of Making Cents • MC Business Education Experience • Methodology • Curricula • Training of Trainers • Case Study: Senegal • Lessons Learned • Business Education Emerging Trend • Business Development Services • Looking Ahead

3. Overview of Making Cents Small woman-owned international consulting firm established in 1998 and based in Washington, DC. • Committed to the improvement of livelihoods • Creation of jobs worldwide • Enable service providers to better assist entrepreneurs: • Expand entrepreneurial mindset & skillset • Increase their income, • Respond to the market and • Grow their businesses.

4. Making Cents Specializes in increasing the capacity of business service providers to deliver services to entrepreneurs through: • Provision of innovative experiential methodology training materials, and • Training of trainer courses • Business Skills • Curriculum • How to run a financially sustainable business • Consulting Services

5. Making Cents Curricula Making Cents has 13 training curricula that fall within 3 categories: • Business skills training for entrepreneurs; • Entrepreneurship education for youth; and • Microfinance Institution Loan Assessor Training Curricula are available in 16 languages (including Spanish and Portuguese) and have been used in 24 countries.

6. Approach to Capacity Building Training of Trainers Curriculum Trainer/ Instructor

7. Making Cents Methodology Business Skills Training What skills do they want? Entrepreneurs

8. Making Cents Methodology Business Skills Training Making Cents Curricula Making Cents Trainer Entrepreneurs Local Trainers

9. Trainers trained: Local consulting firms Individual consultants Business associations Microfinance institutions NGOs Schools Training centers Government agencies Trainees: Urban and peri-urban low-income women & men Micro and small entrepreneurs Technical colleges and skills training programs Vocational training programs Unemployed youth and adults Volunteers and Community Partners Service Providers/Beneficieries

10. Capacity Building of Service Providers Methodology • Supply effective curriculum • Experiential methodology • Margin of adaptation • Straightforward to facilitate • Adapt to learners environment

11. Approach to Capacity Building Training of Trainers Curriculum Trainer/ Instructor

12. Training of Trainers: Objectives The Training-of-Trainer courses (TOTs) are designed to prepare trainers and educators to deliver effective business education.

13. Capacity Building of Service Providers Content • Training of Trainer course • Facilitation • Adaptation • Integration

14. Capacity Building of Service Providers Methodology • Training of Trainer course • Tailored • Hands-on

15. Case Study: Senegal Fédération Nationale des Groupements de Promotion Féminine (FNGPF) Network of Associations for Women’s Development Source: Interviews conducted with program directors Sept. - Oct. 2002

16. Case Study: Senegal FNGPF Overview • Mission: Expand Senegalese women’s social and economic empowerment through varied programs. • Include economic and social promotion through income generating activities • Expanding management abilities & access to credit

17. Case Study: Senegal FNGPF Overview • 54 Savings and credit groups (GECs) • Support collective or individual enterprises • 2 million + members in network • 7,000 women’s groups • Serve all regions of Senegal

18. Case Study: Senegal FNGPF Goal • Increase members’ knowledge of enterprise management skills and ability to implement them. • Management training as a requirement for loan in areas with regular training sessions Strategy • Develop internal capacity to deliver training to clients • Pilot training in Dakar, adapt for local use • If successful, offer courses at different levels of implementation by region • Stimulate demand for additional training

19. Case Study: Senegal FNGPF Training • Facilitator 1,500 FCFA • Supplies 500 FCFA • Rent training facilities 1,000 FCFA • Contribution to cooperative’s capital 2,000 FCFA Entrepreneurs pay a training fee of 5,000 CFA (USD 8)

20. Case Study: Senegal Fees & Costs Fees and Costs Kept Low by: • Organizing training sessions locally • Holding sessions after lunch • Recycling some of the supplies (pencils, erasers, etc.) • Using “in-house” facilitators Training Provided from December 2001-March 2002 • 158 women trained in GEC cooperative in Thiès • 4-5 day sessions

21. Case Study: Senegal Impact • Increased enterprise revenues • Improved household budgeting • Understand the big picture • Worthwhile use of time • Valuable - Worth paying for • Additional training desired • Skepticism of value of training changed by personal experience

22. Building the Capacity of Service Providers Lessons Learned • Need a relevant training tool and the ability to facilitate learning using this tool. • Increases their capacity as an entrepreneur to offer a valuable service. • Having a training tool provides trainers with a skill and increases credibility, especially with peers.

23. Building the Capacity of Service Providers Lessons Learned • Training materials must: • have relevant content, • interest participants, • be easy to use, • be low maintenance.

24. Trends Now looking at BDS…

25. Business Development Services • Skills training • Market research & linkages • Accounting and financial management • Technical services • Brokering networks • Communication services • Management consulting Any “non-financial” service to business offered on either a formal or informal basis - such as:

26. Business Development Services Model Uses both supply and demand side interventions to develop market for BDS $ Facilitator Donor Entrepreneurs Private Service Provider $ Services

27. Lessons Learned Incorporating BDS approach into Senegal…

28. Building the Capacity of Service Providers Lessons Learned • Develop the capacity of local suppliers to deliver training. • keeps costs low • access to & knowledge of the market • Build trainers’ business planning skills in order to develop their own business plan for offering training in a sustainable manner.

29. Service Providers Offering Sustainable Training Lessons Learned Fees • Participants’ enthusiasm for training increases their willingness to pay fees • “Hook” entrepreneurs with a “taste” • Important to reduce training costs to keep fees affordable to entrepreneurs • Fees can be modest and still profitable • Eg. rural areas, women, youth

30. Service Providers Offering Sustainable Training Trends Internal • Continued and increased charging of fees • Increased reach • Greater outsourcing • Using internal trainers as external service providers • Continued product innovation and expansion

31. Service Providers Offering Sustainable Training Trends External • Delivery of training to entrepreneurs where delivery paid by funders (why turn your back on the cash cow?) • Growth of contracting directly with entrepreneurs • Increased revenues from this area of training • Increased specialization

32. Discussion Questions & Your experiences

33. Contact Information Shoshana Hecker Making Cents International 1424 L Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20005 USA Tel.: +1 202 783 4090 Fax: +1 202 783 4091 www.makingcents.com shoshana@makingcents.com