Stakeholders involved
ILO technical specialist, government representatives (national and local), community-based organizations (including refugee- and youth-led groups), BDS providers, training institutions, micro, MSMEs, chambers of industry, chambers of commerce
Guidelines
National institutions
- Working with national institutions, such as the Federation of Small and Medium Sized Entreprises (FSME) in Uganda or Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) in Iraq, requires that the institutions’ staff have time and capacity to support the continued provision of BDS. Making sure there is sufficient time and budget available is critical to ensure that training is carried out and aligned with the intended methodologies. In some instances, this might require having more senior managers within the institution commit to allocating sufficient staffing time and resources.
- Build capacities of partners capable of creating a multiplier effect among their members to expand BDS in refugee-hosting areas, such as FSMEs and chambers of commerce and industry. For example, in Jordan, the programme built on its long-standing partnership with the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) to adapt and expand its services to MSMEs, taking a sector approach to target a small number of MSMEs in the agri-foods sub-sector. PROSPECTS added targeting and selection criteria, requiring participating MSMEs to employ or serve refugees.
- Membership-based associations are highly familiar with aspects of the local business environment, including business regulation and processes related to MSMEs and formalization. For refugee entrepreneurs, membership-based associations also provide an opportunity to build networks with other businesses. For example, the programme team partnered with the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL) – a membership-based organization representing some 80,000 female-owned small, medium and large businesses in Uganda. The refugee and host community female entrepreneurs who were supported by UWEAL under PROSPECTS were also registered as members of the association, so they were able to avail of a support structure and network in the long term.
Community-based organizations (CBOs)
- Community based organizations are particularly instrumental in adapting the training content and methods of delivery, as well as in reaching and mobilizing the target group, because they are often made up of members of the refugee and host communities.
- Support CBOs to get trained and certified as trainers, so that they can enhance both the quality and reach of their BDS. See an example of this in Uganda, where Unleashed, an initiative led by two refugee brothers, helped fellow young refugees living in the Nakivale settlement develop business ideas and produce prototypes.
- Enhance the quality and augment the content of CBOs’ existing business training curricula with the structure of existing ILO BDS tools, such as SIYB.
- Complement BDS training with business competition and start-up support, as seen in a grant scheme for youth-led initiatives in Ethiopia. The Youth-to-Youth Fund supported ten youth-led organizations in the country to develop and/or scale up initiatives that supported young people in their communities with employment and business development services.
- Train CBOs in additional skills that can be incorporated into the delivery of BDS training, such as building core skills in social cohesion to bring young people from different backgrounds together.
- Dedicate time and resources to building the capacity of CBOs in administrative and financial management. Making investments in building capacities upfront will help localize BDS service delivery in the medium and long term.
