The Business Skills Training Guide
Developed for Concern Worldwide’s graduation program in Rwanda in 2015-2016, the Business Skills Training Guides provide step-by-step instructions for business skills training of micro-entrepreneurs in a development context and covers Training of Trainers (ToT) and Programme Participant Training (PPT). The ToT uses role play as the main method of training. The PPT sessions are conducted as facilitated discussions.
The Guide comprises three separate files:
- Part 1. Guide for Training-of-Trainers – a detailed step-by-step description of each ToT session;
- Part 2.1. Guide for Programme Participant Training – a detailed step-by-step description of each PPT session for 12 messages on general management, marketing and operations;
- Part 2.2. Guide for Programme Participant Training – a detailed step-by-step description of each PPT session for 5 messages on risks and financial management.
This Guide takes into account that some micro-entrepreneurs may lack literacy and numeracy skills. At the same time, all micro-entrepreneurs have life and business experience. From the experience of Concern Worldwide’s graduation programs, it is clear that training sessions alone are not sufficient for illiterate and innumerate extremely poor micro-entrepreneurs to dramatically improve their business. Follow-up on the training is essential. A guide for follow-up visits was created as well as tools were developed to monitor the quality of the training and application of the knowledge acquired during the training.
Very importantly, to be used outside Rwanda, the Business Skills Training Guide should be localized – photographs demonstrating bad and good practice must depict local people wearing local clothes, hair styles, recognizable sites, relevant income-generating activities, bank notes, etc. The visual aids must be relatable for the learners. The Guide should be translated in the local language before it can be used to facilitate the sessions.
