Entrepreneurship Education and Training by Alicia Robb & Alexandria Valerio & Brent Parton

Author:Alicia Robb & Alexandria Valerio & Brent Parton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The World Bank
Published: 2014-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Entrepreneurship Training: Practicing Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship training for practicing entrepreneurs (ETPr) comprises programs that target a range of practicing entrepreneurs, including individuals running informal, micro- and small enterprises as well as high-growth potential enterprises. Given the nature of their target group, these programs are primarily concerned with how they can help entrepreneurs survive and succeed, regardless of their type of enterprise.

In Kenya, a number of different service providers offer training for practicing entrepreneurs. These include the Ministry of Trade through the Kenya Institute of Business Training (KIBT), a comparatively established provider, as well as various business membership organizations (such as the Kenya Association of Women Business Owners (KAWBO) and the Young Entrepreneurs Association). The participation of associations in ETPr programs is a notable distinction within the program landscape in Kenya as compared to the other case countries. It should be noted, however, that in several cases such programs are cofunded by development partners.

The landscape of programs in Kenya indicates that ETPr programs tend to be short, often lasting only one day, to cater to the time limitations that practicing entrepreneurs face. Because training is short, it often focuses on specific topics related to business management, such as human resource strategies and export regulations, and it provides only limited wrap-around services. There are also examples of longer programs, some of which support longer-term goals such as market integration (such as the Entrepreneurship and Handicraft for Exports program and the Supplier Diversifying Program implemented by KAWBO), as well as micro- and informal enterprises. For example, the Street MBA program requires 80 hours of training, covering management, marketing, accounting, business ethics and business English modules, plus an additional 60 hours of computer training.

Furthermore, ETPr programs in Kenya are often tailored to supporting certain groups of entrepreneurs. This includes programs that provide training for microfinance clients, programs focused on supporting entrepreneurs in specific sectors such as agriculture and information and communication technology, and programs supporting proximate groups of entrepreneurs, such as those running informal enterprises, a category known in Kenya as jua kali enterprises. As an example of the latter, the Micro and Small Enterprise Training and Technology Project (MSETTP) provided training to jua kali entrepreneurs, people who in many cases are master craft workers in traditional craft occupations (such as metalwork and woodwork), running established enterprises that are often organized in clusters and business associations. MSETTP provided training to 35,000 such proprietors between 1994 and 2002, to support the development of the jua kali sector through a training voucher program that subsidized skills and management training.

In Ghana, there are additional examples of a similar focus in ETPr programs on supporting clusters of entrepreneurs, with attention to entrepreneurs in the informal sector, as in Kenya. One program, run by the Ghana National Association of Garages, provided training to 1,000 metalwork craft workers operating microenterprises in the Suame Magazine, an area located in the city of Kumasi. Another program aimed at supporting better business practices to improve record keeping and boost sales as well as profits. An

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