Skills and Enterprise Development

The program's primary goal is to enhance the economic productivity of disadvantaged women and youth-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through various interventions. These interventions include skills development, wealth creation, and promoting resilience and adaptation. To achieve this, the program provides a comprehensive range of support to disadvantaged women and youth. This support includes technical skills training, soft skills development, entrepreneurship knowledge, and assistance with market and financial linkages. By equipping them with these capacities, the program aims to enhance their ability to generate income, create employment opportunities, and support sustainable livelihoods.

By focusing on economic independence and interdependence, the program aims to create a sustainable ecosystem that promotes market and financial access for participants. This, in turn, reduces their economic vulnerability and enhances their responsiveness and resilience at both individual and societal levels.
Overall, the program seeks to empower disadvantaged women and youth by providing them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources to improve their economic productivity. Through the creation of income-generating opportunities, employment, and sustainable livelihoods, the program aims to contribute to their economic independence, reduce vulnerability, and enhance their overall well-being.

Our Approach

The program is anchored on the SME LOOP Business Training and Coaching model which is designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in increasing and sustaining employment and income generation. The model takes a systematic approach by targeting various value chains and implementing a customized cyclical capacity building process. The program combines coaching cycles with credit facilities, which are guaranteed through a toolkit. This allows SMEs to access financial resources for their business operations. Additionally, the model focuses on facilitating linkages to market opportunities, enabling SMEs to reach potential customers and expand their business networks.
The program also emphasizes the importance of exchange and learning platforms for knowledge growth and peer support. SMEs can participate in workshops, seminars, and networking events, where they can share experiences, learn from industry experts, and collaborate with their peers.
In addition to business training and coaching, the program delivers technical and vocational skills that are relevant to the job market. These skills aim to equip individuals with the necessary capabilities to either become valuable employees or start their own businesses. The program also includes trade tests or assessments to validate the skills acquired by participants.